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Loaded Carrot Cake with a Kick

Posted on March 19, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 4 comments

Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes. I like it plain with no frosting–this cake is that good–but it’s really delicious with a rich cream cheese frosting, or, try it Chamorro-style and top it with Latiya (find my recipe here).

I call this “loaded carrot cake” because it’s chock full of raisins, walnuts and crushed pineapples (which makes it so moist). The raisins and walnuts are optional, but this cake tastes so delicious if you add them, especially if you add that “kick.” I’ll tell you about that later. 😉

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Loaded Carrot Cake with a Kick

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrots (about 4 medium or 3 large carrots)
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 1/2 cups raisins plus 1/2 cup water (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar

Latiya:

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
12 ounces water
4 tablespoons corn starch
Cinnamon, for dusting

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Place the raisins into a small bowl and cover it with water. Soak the raisins in the water while you make the batter. To give this cake a “kick,” soak the raisins in rum instead of water. 😉

3. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a separate and larger mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a half cup at a time. Using a large mixing spoon or spatula, gently stir the mixture until the dry and wet ingredients combine (do not over mix; a few lumps are okay).

6. Stir in the crushed pineapple and grated carrots.

7. Drain out any liquid remaining in the bowl of raisins, then fold the raisins into the batter.

8. Fold the walnuts into the batter.

9. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then run a butter knife around the sides to loosen it. Invert the cake onto a serving dish or cooling rack to let it finish cooling completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until fluffy.

2. Add the cinnamon and half of the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining powdered sugar; mix until creamy.

3. After the cake is completely cooled, top with cream cheese frosting (or latiya).

Serve and ENJOY!

Latiya:

1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, place the milk, butter, vanilla extract and sugar. Whisk the ingredients together until the butter melts.

2. Mix the water and corn starch together. Once the butter melts, pour the corn starch mixture into the pan. Continuously whisk the mixture until it comes to a boil.

3. Cook the mixture for another minute after it comes to a boil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.

4. Pour the hot mixture over slices of carrot cake. Sprinkle the top of the latiya with cinnamon. Let the mixture cool at room temperature to allow the latiya to set.

Serve and ENJOY!

Posted in Cakes, DESSERTS

King Cake

Posted on March 1, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 6 comments

King Cakes are part of a popular tradition that celebrates the 12th day following the birth of Christ, during which the 3 Wise Men or Kings visited the Christ Child. The celebrations continue sometimes up to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras, in French), the day before Ash Wednesday when the Lenten Season begins. The custom of baking these “cakes” is in honor of the Three Kings, hence the name, “A King’s Cake.”

The custom includes baking a tiny porcelain or plastic baby inside the cake. King Cakes are usually served at parties, and the person who finds the baby in their slice of cake is supposed to host the party the next year. Instead of having a party, you could bake several smaller King Cakes and give them to your neighbors. The neighbor who receives the King Cake with the baby gets to bake them for the neighbors the following year.

King Cakes aren’t really cakes, but a rich danish (I’ll keep calling them cakes, though). Some King Cakes are baked without adding a filling, but I like to make mine with a rich and luscious cream cheese and cinnamon filling. After the cake is baked, the baby is inserted. Then the top of the cake is covered with a rich glaze and decorated in the traditional colors of purple, green and gold.

These colors have a special meaning as well. One explanation is that the official Mardi Gras colors were selected in 1872 to honor the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovich Romanoff, whose house colors were purple, green and gold. Another explanation is that the colors purple, green and gold were used by Catholic Church throughout history, and the colors represent Justice (Purple), Faith (Green), and Power (Gold).

This recipe takes some time to make, but it’s worth it in the end. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

King Cake

Dough Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white, granulated sugar
8 oz. sour cream
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (98-105 degrees)
1 1/2 teaspoons white, granulated sugar
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/8 cup white, granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Glaze Ingredients:

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or milk

Decoration Ingredients:

Green sugar sprinkles
Purple sugar sprinkles
Yellow sugar sprinkles
One tiny plastic or porcelain baby (about 2 inches long)

Directions:

Make the dough:

In a small microwave-safe bowl, place the butter and sugar. Cook for 1-2 minutes in the microwave until the butter melts. Transfer to a small mixing bowl. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

In another small bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside to allow the yeast to proof. It should be very bubbly after five minutes; if not, then discard the mixture and start over. NOTE: Water that is too hot will kill the yeast. The water should feel as warm as the temperature of your skin.

Place the egg into the bowl of a large stand mixer (such as a KitchenAid). Use the paddle attachment to slightly beat the egg.

The photo below shows two eggs–I doubled my recipe when I made this so I had enough cakes to give away to friends.

Mix in the sour cream mixture and proofed yeast.

Slowly mix in the flour, one cup at a time. NOTE: If you live in a low humidity environment, you may need less flour, about 2 1/2 cups. If you live in humid area, you may need slightly more than 3 cups of flour.

After the flour has been roughly mixed with the wet ingredients, switch to the dough hook.

Turn your mixer to medium-high speed and knead for 5 minutes. NOTE: If you are kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. After kneading, place the dough into a greased bowl (clear works best so you can see if the dough has doubled in size); place in a warm place to rise until doubled.

While the dough is rising, make the cream cheese and cinnamon fillings.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling:

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the egg, sugar and cream cheese. Mix on high until there are no more lumps and the filling is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Cinnamon filling: In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon filling ingredients together. Set aside.

Make the Glaze:

Mix together the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and just half of the orange juice. Mix until smooth.

You want the glaze to be slightly thin but not runny. Add more orange juice if you need to thin it out more.

Set aside.

Put it all together:

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Place onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, roughly 18×12 inches.

Roughly mark lines in the dough to separate it into thirds (do NOT cut through the dough). Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the OUTER sections into diagonal strips about 1 inch wide; these strips are what you will use to create a woven or braided look for the top of the King Cake. NOTE: Make sure you do not cut through the middle third of the rectangle.

Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle of the rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Fold the strips of dough over the fillings, alternating sides. Overlap the strips to form a braided or woven look.

Tuck the ends of the dough underneath the end; use any extra dough to ensure both ends of the King Cake are sealed (to keep the filling in while baking).

This is how you’d make a round King Cake.

Roll out two pieces of dough about 16 inches in diameter.

Cut one piece of dough into strips, like you’re cutting a pizza.

Place the uncut round piece onto a baking sheet. Place the cut pieces of dough underneath the edge of the uncut piece (pointed part facing out), going all around the side (it will look like a large sun with rays pointing out). Press along the edges of the cut pieces to the seal them to the uncut circle.

Spread the cream cheese filling around the edge of the uncut circle of dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar filling on top of the cream cheese. Fold each cut piece inward, pressing down at the pointed tip to seal the dough (you will have a small “well” of dough in the middle).

Into the small well, pour more cream cheese filling. Top with cinnamon filling.

Carefully lift the shaped dough and place onto a large baking sheet. Spray the top of the King Cake (dough) lightly with butter flavored cooking spray, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise again until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

Glaze the King Cake and Decorate:

While the King Cake is still warm, spread a thin layer of the glaze on top.

Decorate with the sugar sprinkles, alternating the colors.

Slice, Serve and ENJOY!

Posted in BREADS, DESSERTS, Easter, HOLIDAY MENU, Other Desserts, Yeast Bread

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Posted on March 1, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen Leave a comment

Do you love to eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough? I must admit that I won’t eat the raw dough–soft, chewy, warm-from-the-oven BAKED cookies, however are another story! If you’re among the many who love eating cookie dough by the spoonful, this recipe is for you.

You can do an internet search for ‘chocolate chip cookie dough dip’ and come up with over 1.7 million hits, with almost all of the ingredients seemingly identical. This one is no different. I don’t know who the original creator of this recipe is, but whomever thought it up…THANK YOU!

In the words of a friend, “This should be illegal, it’s so good!” 🙂

Give this recipe a try. I think you’ll LOVE it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
1 small bag miniature chocolate chips
Honey graham crackers

Directions:

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

Add the brown sugar to the pan.

Simmer over low heat until the brown sugar melts.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir to combine then remove from the heat.

This is what the butter-sugar-vanilla mixture looks like. It smells divine!

As the butter mixture cools, prepare the cream cheese mixture.

Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl.

Mix on medium speed until fluffy.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Mix until creamy.

Pour the cooled butter mixture into the bowl. Mix until creamy.

Add the chocolate chips to the bowl.

Fold the chips into the cream cheese mixture.

Resist the urge to stick your fingers into the bowl and scoop out some of this yumminess! Okay, you can use a spoon instead of your fingers, but save some for the graham crackers! 🙂

Serve with graham crackers and ENJOY! 😀

Posted in DESSERTS, Other Desserts, Uncategorized

Caramel Apple Dip

Posted on March 1, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen Leave a comment

I love caramel apples, don’t you? What I don’t love is having to bite into it, so I usually end up cutting the apple into slices so I don’t make a huge mess.

This recipe makes it so much easier to enjoy this delicious treat.

I used toffee bits in this recipe, but you can also use miniature chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even crushed jolly rancher candies. The possibilities are endless to how versatile you can make this.

Give this recipe a try. I know you love it! 🙂

Caramel Apple Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup caramel sauce (you can use ice cream topping), plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toffee bits
Sliced apples (I like Rome apples for this)

Directions:

Place the cream cheese into a small mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until creamy. Add the 1/4 cup of caramel sauce and brown sugar to the bowl; mix until you don’t see any large lumps of brown sugar. Next, mix in the marshmallow cream. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Place the dip into a serving dish. Sprinkle toffee bits or your favorite caramel apple topping all over the top. Drizzle with more caramel sauce (as much as you like).

Serve with sliced apples and ENJOY!

Posted in APPETIZERS, Other Desserts tagged with Fruit

Easy Guava Cake

Posted on February 13, 2014 by AnniesChamorroKitchen 104 comments

Guava Cake is a delicious Hawaiian dessert that is quickly becoming popular nationwide. It’s traditionally made with chiffon cake, but my quick and easy recipe uses boxed cake mix.

I like using strawberry cake mix for my recipe–it amps up the guava flavor in my opinion.

Give my recipe a try. I think you like it. 🙂

Easy Guava Cake

Ingredients:

1 12-oz can frozen concentrated guava nectar
1 1/2 cups water
8 ounces cream cheese
12 ounces Cool Whip
1 box strawberry cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn starch
4 tablespoons water
Optional: 1 cup guava jelly

Directions:

1. Prepare the Guava Juice.

Empty the contents of the frozen concentrated guava nectar into a small bowl or measuring cup.

Remove 2 teaspoons of the concentrated nectar and place into a small mixing bowl. Set this aside for now (you will use this when you make the frosting).

Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the remaining frozen concentrated nectar. Stir until the frozen nectar completely dissolves/melts and combines with the water. You should have about 3 cups of juice. Set aside.

2. Make the frosting.

Add the cream cheese to the mixing bowl with the reserved 2 teaspoons frozen concentrated guava nectar.

Note: I had a jar of guava jam in the fridge; I also added a teaspoon of jam to the bowl, but this is totally optional. If you don’t have any guava jam, don’t worry about it. I just like to add it to the frosting to give it a guava flavor.

Using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and guava nectar until creamy.

Add the Cool Whip to the mixing bowl.

Mix until creamy. Place the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Bake the cake.

Empty the contents of the cake mix into a mixing bowl.

Into the bowl add the eggs, vegetable oil, and 1 cup of the guava juice (set the remaining juice aside–it will be used later to make the guava sauce).

Using a whisk or mixing spoon, mix the ingredients together. Don’t over-mix the batter; mix only until the large lumps disappear.

Split the batter between two small pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely (I inverted it onto a plate to finish cooling).

OPTIONAL:

To give your guava cake a boost of guava flavor, split the cakes in half while still warm. Heat the jelly in a microwave-safe cup for one minute. Spread the guava jelly over the top surface of each of the cake halves. Allow to cool then place the halves back together. Proceed with the remaining instructions.

4. Make the guava sauce.

Place the remaining 2 cups of guava juice into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium high.

Mix the cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan, mixing with a whisk.

Continue whisking the mixture over medium high heat, cooking until the sauce begins to thicken.

The sauce will thicken only after it comes to a boil. Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low; continue cooking for a couple of minutes then remove from the heat.

Pour the sauce into a small bowl or measuring cup. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: Let the sauce cool completely before pouring onto the cake.

5. Assemble the cake.

Place one of the cake layers onto a serving plate.

Spread a thin layer of frosting onto the cake.

Spread some of the guava sauce on top of the frosting, staying about one inch from the edge.

Place the second layer of cake on top of the first layer.

Frost the cake (top and sides) with the remaining frosting.

Pour the remaining sauce on top of the cake. If you have room in your fridge, refrigerate the cake until the sauce and frosting sets completely. If you have a cake decorating bag and tips, you can be fancy and pipe a border around the edge to keep the sauce nice and pretty in the middle of the cake.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop there. I’m a sauce kind of girl, so I just HAD to pour MORE sauce over the cake, letting it drip down the sides (yum!). 😉

Slice, serve, and ENJOY!

I couldn’t wait for the sauce to set, so I cut into this cake IMMEDIATELY. Ahh…it’s all good. DELICIOUS in fact. 😀

If you have any sauce left, pour some over the cake–man oh man–I want some more cake (I ate 3–yes 3–pieces).

ENJOY!

I also made some guava cupcakes. You can place some guava sauce in the middle (cut a piece of cake out of the top), top it with frosting, then drizzle more sauce on top.

Posted in Cakes, DESSERTS, ETHNIC, Hawaiian

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