Carrot Cake

so i have this "desk mate" at work. desk mate in the sense that we literally share a plank of white melamine on which we both place our computers, phones, staplers, pens, pencils, stacks (and extra stacks in my case) of sketched over paper, etc etc. we see each other every day for 5 days straight and then 1st thing again monday morning. we make fun of our husbands and exchange sideways glances when someone else in the office is being weird - or whatever. you get the point. what's funny about work relationships like the one my "desk mate" and i have is that after a bit over 2 years of this routine you really get to know someone through seemingly intimate details of this person's life, such as what duvet cover they just bought for their bed, the basics of the in-law relationships and of-course: what kind of cake they like - so much so it was served at their wedding.

alright so i know this deskmate pretty well - right. and she's gunna have a baby in about a month. which translates in office speak to: we're going to have a little get-together and eat cake during office hours on a friday when no one wants to work anyways. annnnnd ofcourse i demanded to bake the cake - her favorite cake, my lease favorite - carrot cake. but its all in the name of desk mate love.

assuming that when multiple people eat upwards of 3 pieces each the signs point to the cake being good, then the cake was a hit. even josh and i enjoyed the un-iced mini cupcakes i made with the leftovers.

CARROT CAKE

2c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

2c sugar

1 1/4c oil

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3c grated carrots

1c chopped pecans

*preheat oven to 350F, grease pans and line bottom w/ parchment

* in a bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices

* in a separate bowl whisk together the oil and sugar

*beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla

*stir in flour mixture, just to combine

*fold in carrots and pecans

*pour into prepared pans, cook 40 minutes until toothpick is clean

*cool for 10 minutes then turn onto cooling rack

*ice and eat!

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

6oz butter, room temp

14oz cream cheese, room temp

3-4c powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

*beat butter and cream cheese together to fluffy

*beat in 2c sugar then add in vanilla

*continue to add sugar until desired consitency / sweetness (i used about 3 1/2)

Halloween Cupcakes!

so we're in! i have a kitchen again! and how better to bring a kitchen to life than to whip up a batch of halloween party cupcakes? This is my usual chocolate cupcake recipe and normally I would pair that with non other than a delish chocolate icing. alas halloween demands orange and black, so there is noway around it - i had to create a vanilla buttercream and forge on with the orange dye. and be the OCD baker i am - threw in real vanilla bean. to me the beans are a must, you can't beat the distinctly authentic and fresh flavor of the freshly scraped little beans. but if you don't feel up to trucking out to the store and spending $10 for the beans (i get mine in bulk for much less, juts for the record) then go ahead and just omit; but be aware beans make it better ;).

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1c AP flour

1c sugar

1/2c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2c buttermilk

1/4c oil

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2c coffee

*preheat oven to 350F, line muffin pan

*sift together the flour, sugar, soda, baking powder, cocoa & salt

*on separate bowl combine buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla

*stir in buttermilk mixture into dry mix

*pour in coffee, mix to combine

*fill muffin pans and cook for 20 minutes until toothpick is clean

Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

2oz butter, room temp

1c powdered sugar

1/4 vanilla bean, split in half and beans scraped

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp milk

*cream butter until light and fluffy

*add in half of the powdered sugar

*add vanilla bean, extract and milk. beat to combine

*add remaining sugar to desired consistency then beat in food dye

Gluten Free Chocolate and Prune Cookies

we are finally moving - this saturday and of-course it looks like its going to be cold and raining. awesome! so hopefully one of these days soon i will have an apt that functions. functionality is a very very good thing.

so to the cookies - i love these little guys. again i'm cleaning out the ole pantry and trying to make something decently healthy. so for those of you who are not aware: prunes and chocolate go really well together. don't mess around with milk chocolate - go for the dark. trust me.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE & PRUNE COOKIES

1 1/4c almond flour / meal

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 tbs coconut oil

1/4c agave

1 1/s tsp vanilla

1/4c chopped prunes

1/2c toasted pecans, chopped

1/4c dark chocolate, chopped

*preheat oven to 350F

*combine almond meal, baking soda and salt in bowl

*in separate bowl combine oil, agave and vanilla

*add wet to dry, stir to combine

*fold in prunes and chocolate

*roll into 1/2" ball (or heaping TBS) and flatten slightly

*bake for 8-10 minutes

Pumpkin White Chocolate & Pecans Cookies

so come sunday josh and i were reminiscing about how fabulous our thanksgiving dinner was last year - and how we can't wait to be at the end of November (and over with this NYC moving/working hell). and what says thanksgiving more than the disgustedly delicious low country sweet potato casserole!? yeah you know what i'm talking about - with the mini marshmallows and pecans on top. oh my!

so being the visually obsessive person i am; i went ahead and used pantry "leftovers" and concocted this cookie that looks like the infamous dish. i have to say it may not be a casserole, but it definitely screams autumn. the cookie itself is like a mix between a muffin and a cookie - maybe muffin top-ish? well anyways they are delish (josh ate 5 yesterday) and dare i say actually healthier for you than the marshmallow coated, buttered casserole it was modeled after. enjoy your autumn days!

PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE & PECAN COOKIES

1 1/2c + 2 tbs AP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp salt

3oz butter, softened

1/2c sugar

1/2c brown sugar, lightly packed

2/3c pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2c chopped white chocolate

1/2c toasted chopped pecans

*preheat oven to 350F

*sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt

*in separate bowl cream together butter and sugar to light and fluffy

*beat in egg and vanilla to combine

*beat in pumpkin to combine

*add flour mix, beat to just combine

*fold in chocolate and pecans

*drop by heaping tbs full onto sheet, flatten a bit

*cook for 10-12 minutes

Pear Up-Side Down Gingerbread Cake

its full on autumn here in NYC and we had an extremely overdue dinner date with our newly parented friends over in williamsburg. so there is no way in hell i could show up to their place without some kind of sweet treat. no way.

with that credo established - ummm what the ?! i have no kitchen! but i do have a skillet. okey dokey lets do it, lets make a freakin cake in a skillet. i suppose its not that crazy of an idea. its done all the time, i think. my only word of wisdom here is don't use a skillet with a plastic handle - that's all i'll say about that. besides the smell of stressed molten plastic that wafted through the apt; everything was perfect!

i've actually never made an up-side down cake. something about it reminds me of old ladies. right? like a pineapple upside down cake with cherries in the middle - ha! well i got over it and glad i did, i love this cake! make sure you use ripe bosc pears, they need to be able to "melt" into the cake. i'm such a foodie - melt? anyways the dinner and company was great as always with those guys. think josh wants to move to london with them. and katy claimed the cake reminded her of childhood - rock out, i'll take a slice of that!

PEAR UP-SIDE DOWN GINGERBREAD CAKE

For Pears:

2 ripe bosc pears, peeled, cored sliced in 8

2oz butter

3/4c packed light brown sugar

For Cake:

2 1/2c AP flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1c pure cane syrup (or molasses)

1c boiling water

4oz butter

1/2c packed light brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

*preheat oven to 350F

make pears:

*in a large, deep, non-stick skillet heat the butter over medium heat until foam subsides

*lower heat to low & sprinkle evenly the sugar over butter, let cook 3 minutes undisturbed

*place the pear slices around the skillet, cook 2 minutes undisturbed

*take off heat

make cake:

*sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and salt

*in separate bowl combine cane syrup and boiling water, stir to combine

*in separate bowl cream together butter and sugar to light and fluffy

*add in egg and vanilla, beat to combine and fluffy

*in 3 batched alternately add in the dry ingredients then the syrup mixture into the butter mix. end on the dry ingredients and mix to combine

*pour batter evenly over the prepared pears

*place the (melt proof) skillet in the oven and cook 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

*let cool only about 5minutes then run a knife around the edges of the skillet and invert the onto a plate - enjoy!

Apple Galette

as you know i have no kitchen at the moment. this past month has been somewhere between a nightmare and lovely day dream. the condo purchase fell through, actually it was more like an implosion. but that's cool; i (for the first time in our 3 years together) heeded josh's advice and PRE-PACKED - over a month ago. yeah don't ever do that - unless you enjoy jamming your shins on cardboard edges every morning and trying to cook a dinner without cutting boards. try it, its really fulfilling. keep wine on hand. lots of wine.

ok so i still have my cookie sheets because although i was effected by my overly active husband - i was not fully converted and gave up packing about 2 hours in. so really i am half-packed. like i said i have a cookie sheet. and apples are in season so whadda ya do when that happens? make a pseudo apple pie also known to me as an apple galette. i'm so fancy.

my instructions:

1. check out my recipe for the best apple pie ever here

2. make half the dough

3. instead of chopping the apples, slice them thin

4. roll the dough out, place on cookie sheet

5. lay apple sliced over the dough (make pretty pattern), leaving about 6" from the dough edge

6. fold dough over, drop in butter and brush with egg wash

7. bake as usual, cut the time by about 10 minutes since the apples cook faster.

8. enjoy!

Fall Flowers from my Love

yeah so josh came home with flowers a few nights ago after he came home late. i woke up the next morning and viola! happy fall flowers were atop the cluttered "dining room" table - can i just say i am in love with these flowers. its fall over here - let the festivities begin.

Chocolate Banana Nut Cookies

like usual we can never finish off the last banana in the bunch so it just sits on the counter, taking up space, growing more and more spotted and unappetizing in appearance. perfect - make cookies. these are fun - next time i will switch out the butter with coconut oil and put in additional chocolate chips just to amp them up a bit. but they are a simple little snack as they are.

CHOCOLATE BANANA NUT COOKIES

1/2c semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled for 10 minutes

1/2 sugar

1/4c butter

1 medium banana, mashed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1c + 2 tbs flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4c chopped walnuts or pecans

*preheat oven to 375F

*cream together the butter and sugar to light and fluffy

*beat in egg, then vanilla and melted chocolate

*in separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients

*stir in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture

*fold in the nuts

*drop heaping tsp of batter onto cookie sheet

*cook 8-10 minutes