treats - carrot cake

i've never been a huge fan of carrot cake, but it just so happens to be my boyfriend's favorite dessert. with that in mind, i decided i needed to create a recipe that we could both enjoy. one of my favorite things about this recipe is how different the cakes turn out depending on the final product. the cupcakes come out light and fluffy, but the full sheet cake comes out much more dense. experiment with the recipe and see what works best for your palate.

enjoy!

the goods:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking spice
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 12 oz grated carrots (approx 5 carrots)

the equipment:
food processor, hand mixer or stand mixer, cupcake pan / 9x9 glass dish / cake pop pan, sifter

the how to:
- process carrots until finely grated
- sift flour and combine with sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and baking spice
- mix ingredients in large bowl
- add eggs, one at a time while mixing on medium low

for easy clean up, place egg shells on paper plate while mixing

- once eggs are incorporated, slowly pour in oil on low
- once incorporated, mix on medium for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth
- mix in carrots

batter will look runny, but will set in oven

for cupcakes - bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes
for cake - bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes
for cakepops - bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes

cool cake on rack and top with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

enjoy!

treats - mixed berry crumbler

crumbler – a crumble/cobbler hybrid; a fruit based dessert with traditional streusel topping and an additional sweetened layer giving it a similar thickness to a cobbler

well, that’s my definition anyway! i was racking my brain trying to decide if I wanted to make a cobbler or crumble and then I thought... why not make a hybrid and give it a name similar to a monster truck. yes!

behold the crumbler was born.

the goods:

the base

- 1 cup vanilla wafers

- ¼ cup butter (softened)

the filling

- 2 lbs sliced fruit

- ¼ cup sugar

- 1 tsp baking spice (or cinnamon)

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 tbl lemon juice

- 1 ½ tbl flour

the topping

- ½ cup rolled oats

- 1/3 cup brown sugar

- 1/3 cup flour

- ¼ cup butter (softened)

the equipment:

glass baking dish (8x8 or 9x9), food processor

the how to:

- mix wafers and ¼ cup butter into food processor until combined; smooth evenly on bottom of pre-greased baking sheet

vanilla wafer base

- mix fruit, sugar, baking spice, vanilla, lemon juice and flour in large bowl

- in a separate bowl, mix the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter together for the streusel topping; it will start to form small balls when it’s mixed completely

streusel topping

- spoon filling mixture over wafer layer and top with streusel mixture

- bake in pre-heated oven at 375F for 40 minutes

golden brown and ready to serve