Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting...is there a better dessert topping?!?! Okay, maybe chocolate frosting or chocolate ganache or fresh whipped cream. I guess cream cheese frosting doesn't stand alone but it's up there as one of the most decadant and delicious dessert toppings. And what better to spread it on than a fresh carrot cake? I'm not a super frequent baker as there are only 2 of us and we can't (and shouldn't) put down a whole cake so I saved this recipe for a lovely Easter dinner. It was from one of my favorite spots - the crew over at America's Test Kitchen - and so worth the wait!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - Serves 10-12

Have it:

Carrot Cake:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (nutmeg grinders are pretty common to find and great to have around)

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. carrots (6-7 med.), peeled
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 c. safflower, canola, or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese softened but still cool

5 tbl. unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1 tbl. sour cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. confectioners sugar

(This ingredient list is if you make the cake as directed in the original recipe and put in a 13" x 9" baking pan. However I wanted a pretty cake so I went with 2 8" x 1.5" round cake pans. You won't need any more cake batter but I did another half recipe of the frosting to get it in between the layers and then around the cake.)

Do it:
For the cake:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 350 degrees. For a pretty cake like mine, spray 2 8" x 1.5" inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. The original recipe calls for then using parchment paper and spraying that but I did not use it and had no problems.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. In a food processor fitted with the large shredding disk, shred the carrots (you should end up with about 3 cups);

add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. Wipe out the food processor and fit with the metal blade. Process both sugars with the eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With the machine running, add the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process until the mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking time. Be careful with the smaller pans. I checked at 25 minutes and they were done around 30 but every oven is different. Cool the cakes to room termperature in the pans on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

For the frosting:

4. When the cake is cool, process the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in a clean food processor until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down the workbowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the confectioners sugarand process until smooth about 10 seconds.

5. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them from the pans. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and use the paring knife to gently even the tops of each cake to make them level.

Eat the uneven parts as they are delicious. Place a cake on a serving platter and use parchment paper to tuck under the edge of the cake so as not to get frosting all over the serving platter. You'll remove once the cake is frosted and it will look so pretty!

6. Using a spatula, spread frosting on the top of the bottom cake and carefully place the second cake on top.

Use the spatula to frost the now layered cake. Spraying the spatula with a little nonstick cooking spray will help smooth the frosting and keep from glopping on your spatula.

Serve. Devour. Enjoy.

Some additional notations. America's Test Kitchen rocks. Not only does every recipe taste amazing but most of their cookbooks have an intro to every recipe explaining the trial and error process and how this recipe came to be. I love it! The second notation would be that food processors are a must in the kitchen. There isn't much they can't do and with this recipe they shred the carrots in a matter of minutes. Last but not least, if you are like me and without a proper cake platter, don't worry. Use a wide dinner plate and an inverted bowl, voila! Instant cake platter. Now stop reading and start baking.

Source: The New Best Recipe cookbook by the fabulous folks at America's Test Kitchen and the editors of Cook's Illustrated

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Alas, it is finally feeling like winter here in the 'ol Midwest. We got around 6 inches this week after having temperatures in the 50s! So with snow on the ground and a chill in the air, I got out my new cookbook (ATK's Slow Cooker Revolution) and set about making a homey chicken noodle soup. I've mentioned before how much I love the cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen and this one is chalked full of great recipes I can't wait to make. This soup was absolutely delicious! Serve it with some rustic bread or rolls for dipping and you've got enough for lunch the next day.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup - Serves 6-8

Have it:
1 1/2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed (I used 6 thighs from Whole Foods)
Salt & pepper
1 tbl. vegetable oil
3 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
2 celery ribs, chopped medium
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbl. tomato paste
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
8 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 (12 oz.) bone-in, skin-on split chicken breast, trimmed
1 1/2 oz. (about 1 c.) wide egg noodles (I upped it to 2 1/2 cups, I love noods!)
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 tbl. minced fr. parsley



Do it:
1. Dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season with s&p. Heat oil in 12-in. skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken thighs well on both sides, 6-8 minutes.


Transfer to plate, let cool slightly, and discard skin.

2. Pour off all but 1 tbl. fat left in pan. Add carrots, celery & onion and cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 7-10 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


Stir in 1 c. chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.

3. Stir remaining 7 c. broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle browned chicken with any accumulated juice into slow cooker. Season chicken breast with s&p, wrap in foil packet and lay on top of soup.


Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4-6 hours on low. (I cooked my soup on low for 5 hours and it turned out great).

4. Remove foil packet, open carefully (watch for steam and juices), and transfer chicken breast to cutting board. Transfer chicken thighs to cutting board. Let all chicken cool slightly, then shred into bite size pieces with 2 forks (or use your fingers which I find to be helpful), discarding skin and bones.


Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves.

5. Cook egg noodles (I use the No Yolk noodles) in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. Sitr cooked noodles, shredded chicken, and peas into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with s&p to taste, and serve.


(I served ours in the adorable Crate & Barrel soup & sandwich set that we got for Christmas - thanks Mom!)

Anything cooked in the slow cooker is sure to warm your home with the delish scents and flavors melding together. Hubs commented on how great it smelled as soon as he opened the door! We were both huge fans of this yummy soup and have plenty of leftovers for dinner tomorrow night too. Soup is a great reheat-meal and the next time I make this one, I may freeze some too.

Source: America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

Ginger Pork Spring Rolls

One of my favorite cookbook series are those from America's Test Kitchen. If you're not familiar with ATK, it's a real kitchen based outside of Boston that tests and develops the best recipes, publishing cookbooks and the Cook's Country television show on public television. I love their recipes because not only are they tried and true but they give a great explanation of why a particular method or ingredient was chosen above another. I've made a variety of dishes and have loved almost all of them. My newest foray was with this Asian infusion recipe that was both easy and delicious (my two favorite words for cooking!).

Ginger-Pork Spring Rolls - serves 4

Have it:
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbl. Asian chili-garlic sauce
1/4 c. water
1 16 oz. bag coleslaw mix
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
6 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 lb. ground pork
3 tbl. grated fresh ginger
12 9-inch rice paper wrappers

Do it: 1. Combine hoisin, soy, and chili-garlic sauces and water in small bowl. In another bowl, mix coleslaw, cilantro, and scallion greens.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pork and 1/3 c. hoisin mixture and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer pork to bowl with coleslaw mix and toss.

3. Spread clean, damp kitchen towel on counter. Soak 4 wrappers in bowl of warm water until just pliable, about 10 seconds; spread out on towel. Arrange 1/2 c. filling on each wrapper, leaving 2-inch border at bottom. Fold in sides and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve, passing remaining hoisin mixture at table.

The dipping sauce was hubs favorite part, great flavor and could easily be used for other Asian inspired dishes.

Source: America's Test Kitchen, The Best Simple Recipes