Tag: Dessert

carrot coconut cake with creamy frosting

walnuts coconut carrot dessert cake pineapple cream cheese

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You know how good our Alaskan carrots are, and this is a perfect recipe to celebrate them! Cakes are always good for celebrating, don’t you think? You can make a beautiful layer cake or gorgeous cupcakes, topped with creamy, tangy white frosting and golden curls of toasted coconut.

This recipe is based on one in rebar modern food. A single batch will make 18-20 cupcakes, or one 8” double-layer cake.

cake

1 ½ cups grated carrots
¾ cup crushed unsweetened pineapple, drained
¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup chopped dates (I use date nuggets), steamed 5 minutes if hard and dry
¾ cup toasted walnuts, chopped (toast for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven)
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

frosting

2 blocks Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (12 ounces each)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

garnish

1-2 cups large unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted in a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until light golden-brown

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans and set aside. Combine grated carrot, pineapple, coconut, dates and walnuts in a large bowl.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the sugars with the eggs. Stir in the vanilla and whip on high speed until the volume has tripled. On medium speed, pour the oil in slowly to blend.
3. Combine the remaining dry ingredients and gently stir into the egg mixture. Fold gently into the carrot mixture. Divide the batter between the cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks. Wait until the cakes are completely cool before making the frosting.
4. Beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and powdered sugar until completely creamy. Put the bottom layer of the cake on a plate, and spread just the top of the cake with frosting. Place the top cake layer on, and again, just frost the top of the cake. (If you don’t want the cake to be quite as decadent, you can get away with a half batch of frosting, since you’re only frosting the tops of the cakes.) Garnish the top with toasted coconut.

for cupcakes, line 2 muffin tins with cupcake papers and spray the papers with nonstick spray. Scoop the batter into the cups (use an ice-cream scoop if you have it) and fill the cups fairly full; the cupcakes don’t rise much because of all the carrots and fruits and nuts weighing down the batter. Bake them at 350 degrees, testing them for doneness with a toothpick after about 20 minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven, let cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Wait until completely cool before frosting, as for the cake.

swiss chard and apple pastry

dessert apples swiss chard puff pastry ricotta cheese

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Contributed by Sherrill Smith Collins
I found this creative recipe in Vegetarian Times.  Everybody loves a good dessert recipe.

7 cups roughly chopped Swiss chard leaves, inner stems removed (1 1/2 lb.)
2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp. egg substitute, divided
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. sliced toasted almonds
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (1/2 17.3-oz. pkg.)
1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Blanch Swiss chard in large pot of boiling water 15 seconds, or until wilted. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
2. Combine ricotta and confectioners’ sugar in bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup egg substitute and milk. Add chard, currants, 1/3 cup almonds, and nutmeg.
3. Cut pastry sheet in half. Roll each half into 10- x 9-inch rectangle on floured work surface. Place 1 piece puff pastry over 8-inch-square nonstick baking pan, and press into sides of pan. Spoon in chard mixture, and arrange apple slices on top. Place remaining piece of pastry on top of apples, and roll edges to seal. Brush with remaining 1 tsp. egg substitute, and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbs. almonds.
4. Prick pastry top with knife to vent. Bake 45 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake 45 minutes more, or until pastry is golden. Cool on wire rack, and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

baked rhubarb with vanilla, orange and clove

rhubarb dessert

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(contributed by Nancy)
Recipe adapted from Seasonal Fruit Desserts by Deborah Madison

1½ pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
¾ cup light brown or white sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
one 2-inch piece of vani!la bean, split lengthwise
3 cloves
pure maple syrup
ice cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar, orange zest and juice and transfer to a baking dish that is large enough to hold the rhubarb in 1 or 2 layers. Bury the vanilla bean and cloves in the rhubarb.
2. Bake until the rhubarb is tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool; if the rhubarb is too tart, add maple syrup to taste. Serve with ice cream.