Baking Extravaganza Part Deux

To continue the baking saga what else would be better than muffins?

First, let's whip out a Dorie Greenspan favorite and make orange berry muffins.

Ingredients:

• grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• about 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. fresh blueberries (if you don't have fresh you can use frozen but don't thaw them!)

Mmm...blueberries

Now for some fun artistic shots...

Pour the orange juice into a large glass measure and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.

Be careful not to curdle the buttermilk!

In the bowl of a stand mixer, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Smells soooo gooooood.

Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then pour in the liquid ingredients and gently stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy and bubbly, just as it should be. Then gently fold in the blueberries.

You know the batter is delicious when your roommate licks the spatula and says "Oh my God! It tastes just like frosting!"

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups with paper muffin cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes at 400 F. Let cool and enjoy!

Before...

After!

Everyone loves banana nut bread, so everyone should also love banana nut muffins, especially if there's chocolate involved.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. veggie oil
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3 medium bananas, mashed (if using frozen bananas, thaw)
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg, oil and sugar together until smooth.

This would be something that a bunch of preteen girls would make someone else to drink during true or dare.

Mash the bananas with a fork in a small bowl. Then add to the egg-oil-sugar mixture.

This shit is bananas!

Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt then stir into banana mixture. Measure out chocolate chips and gentle stir into the batter.

A little for the muffins and a little to snack on while you wait!

Banana goodness!

Fill greased paper muffin cups 3/4 of the way full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 375 F. Cool and enjoy!

Before

After

Cream Cheese Birthdays

So my roommate for practically the past 3 years turned 21 this month, the glorious age where the inside of bars are no longer a mysterious land and you don't feel quite as awkward walking through the wine section of the grocery store. And for her birthday, she requested a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Now we all know that cream cheese frosting is the key to ultimate happiness and probably should be used to mollify hostage situations and international snafus. Just a thought. And to make this sensational cake, I used Bill's Big Carrot Cake recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients for the carrot cake:

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 c. carrots (about 9), grated
• 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 c. shredded coconut
• 1/2 c. moist, plump raisins (I have a thing with raisins, they kind of skeeve me out so I just added a 1/4 c. more of walnuts and coconut)
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. canola oil
• 4 large eggs

Notice how the carrots are in the foreground, making the cake look all healthy

So now to rock out with your cake out:

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.

Mmm...cinnamon!

In a food processor or if you're really amped up for it, grate the carrots. Now I'm really lazy and bought pre-shredded carrots, but the pieces are too long so I threw them in a food processor and chopped them up a bit.

Prepare for annihilation!

Defeat.

Cuppa carrots.

Mix the 3 c. of shredded carrot along with the 1 c. (and 1/4 c. if you're like me and find raisins to be the root of all evil) of walnuts and shredded coconut.

Nom.

Now in the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, combine the canola oil and sugar until smooth.

Goop.

Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition. Keep mixing until mixture is smooth.

Yum. Sugar eggs.

Now add the flour mixture, mixing until the flour and egg mixture is just combined.

Now gently fold in the the carrot-walnut-coconut mixture.

Mission Mix: Completed

Evenly divide the batter into three prepared (greased and floured) baking pans. Bake at 325 F for 30 - 40 minutes.

Before...

And magically, 30 - 40 minutes later...

After!

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Who needs a Glade plug in when you've got eau d'carrot cake?

Now for the best part...the cream cheese frosting!

Cream and the cheese and the creamy cream cheese frosting:
(I doubled the recipe for double the deliciousness)

• 2 8-oz. pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs. or 7 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Creme chez.

Cream the cream cheese and the butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk attachment until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, continuing to whisk until smooth, then add the lemon juice.

Om. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Stop! Assembly time!

It's time to assemble the cake. Place one layer of cake on a cake round, spread a generous amount on the first layer, top with a second layer and repeat until all layers have been used.

Tri-perfecta!

Now frost the edges and top of the cake until all the frosting is gone. Decorate with almond slices and M&M's to make little flowers.

Precious!

And of course, add some candles for birthday wishes!

I was cruel and used trick candles that relight after you blow them out. Hee hee hee :D