{Best Recipe Award Jarred- Dave's Carrot Cake}

This is our first Guest Post and Jared has graciously allowed us to share his famous "Dave's Carrot Cake" "Recipe, if you try it we would love to hear your comments on guest posts. 

 Visit his website as well.

Thank you Jarred

About Jared

My name is Jared, and I’m still not entirely sure how I ended up living in paradise.

My partner ‘Rick’ and I (he’s shy, so that’s not his real name) are two American city boys who moved to rural New Zealand in 2006. We live on 20 acres just outside the charming wine and olive village of Martinborough, at the bottom of the North Island.

It’s a little different from where I grew up, which was the suburbs outside Detroit. I used to stay out till 5am dancing at clubs downtown, where we were frisked at the door for guns and knives. Now I get up at 5am to do yoga, write, and feed the chickens. Go figure.

2 cups flour (For gluten free, replace flour with gluten free baking mix. I use Bakels.)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups cooking oil (I use canola.)
4 eggs
3 cups carrots, finely grated
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Sift dry ingredients together. Add oil, stirring constantly.
Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Place in two round springform pans. Bake at 350 °F / 175 °C for 45 minutes.


Frosting
1 package cream cheese (8 oz / 250 g)
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 pound of icing sugar! (16 0z = 453 g)

Jared blogs at moonovermartinborough.com

 

{Best Recipe Award Guest Post Stefanie's Cupcakes}

I met Stefanie while on a blog hop and invited her to share her 

cupcake recipe and she has graciously 

excepted and is sharing her fun cupcake recipe, now show some love

and visit her blog and find other recipes as well. 

My husband and I love to cook.  We enjoy the same types of food.   Making homemade ravioli is one of our favorite meals to make together.  One night on the weekend, we have a date night at home after we put our two daughters to bed.  We enjoy a quiet evening at home making one of our favorite meals.  Favorite ingredients that you will find in almost every meal we make are: basil, garlic, olive oil.  They are the staples of many of our meals. 

Stefanie's Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes 
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising 
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
2 cups sugar 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes 
4 large eggs 
1 cup whole milk 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. 
Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour. 


2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. 


3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes. 


4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake.

Serve at room temperature.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (my favorite is Mexican vanilla extract) 


1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. 


With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency. 


Enjoy!

Thanks so much.

Stefanie

www.annaandblue.blogspot.com