NO Tuesdays with Dorie today

Everyone in this house is ill. BLAH!

Torte me, torte me!!!

Okay that was a corny title but I have like no time to make a full post. I just wanted to post pictures to show that I actually made the thing. LOL!!!!

TUESDAYS WITH DORIE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Tuesday again!

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie was brought to you by Caitlin of Engineer Baker. It just happens to be Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake. I have to tell you that I was not a fan. I actually had everything ready this time. The past few times I've been running around the kitchen like a chicken with her head cut off.


This cake was sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!! LOL. I didn't like it and neither did the kids but I think the man liked it. I used cranberries instead of figs because I couldn't find any. It turned out okay, not fluted because I had to use a standard cake pan but eh. The recipe was really easy to follow. Try it. You might like it.


I have to say that Tuesdays with Dorie is forcing me to try new things that I wouldn't have. I love that. Thanks.

Next week: I will be in heaven. Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food has chosen Peanut Butter Torte on pages 282-283

Everyone loves cheesecake

So the challenge for Daring Bakers this month was cheesecake pops from the book,Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. And the title of the book is not kidding. This was a sticky, messy task but I loved every minute of it and so did the family. I halved the recipe because it was too much cheesecake and I made them a tad bigger but they turned out amazing.


I decided to dip them in something other than the candy coating. So, we have the heath bar ones:



The mini-chocolate chip ones:



And finally, the pecan ones:


They were all delicious and enjoyed my family. I will definitely make them again, only smaller the next time.



Totally delicious!

What's up, Doc?

So this week's Tuesdays With Dorie was Bill' Big Carrot Cake. First, let me say that no one in my house really likes carrot cake. We like carrots just not carrot cake so I wasn't as excited about this one, therefore I split the recipe in half and made cupcakes. They sunk a little bit but that's okay. It wasn't just me. LOL!


You can always hide a sink hole with icing.



I can't very well make something and not taste it so I took the liner off.



Then I took a bite. Not too bad.



*Bill's Big Carrot Cake*
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.



And that was it. Next week, it's Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake. Hmmm, I don't know about that. Hahahaha.

New Love

I am addicted to reading food blogs. I have been fangirling for like the past three years over people on my other blog. The other day, I found a new love to add to my daily reading.


The Pioneer Woman

Check her out! She rocks.

Marshmallows, so light, so fluffy!

This week's recipe was Marshmallows courtesy of Judy from Judy's Gross Eats. Now I've made marshmallows before but this recipe was different. It had egg whites in it. I don't know if I like that but eh. This recipe was incredibly easy and we love these little white devils in this house but it is soooooo messy. I had PAM all over my hands and utensils and still with the stickiness. Anyway, we eat plain ones all the time so I had to add some caramel to mine. For one, I hadn't done it before and two, like I said we eat the plain ones ALL the time. Anyway, here they are:



They taste sooooooo good. Love, love, love! Look at these swirls:


Next week:

Amanda of slow like honey has chosen…

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake