Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Carrot Cake, a Wedding Cake


In case you didn't know, I got married on August 31, 2012!

We both LOVE Carrot Cake!  We both LOVE my parents recipe for carrot cake.  It's super moist and flavorful.  So, it was clear what we wanted for cake at our wedding.  Our wedding list was just about 190.  So we decided, that if we cut a cake into 16 pieces(a very generous portion), we would need 12 cakes.

My Aunt Mary volunteered to make 5 cakes.  I asked her to make hers nutless and 9x13.  So they'd be square pieces, and the nutted pieces would be from 9" rounds.  This I would make with my parents.  We thought we'd make 8 more.  We made 4 batches (8 rounds), 2 weeks before the wedding and froze them.  We made 5 batches (10 rounds), the week before and froze them.  (So we ended with 14 cakes!)

Do not worry about 5 weeks prior to the wedding we tested the recipe and freezing it.  We then tested SEVERAL different recipes for frosting.  We settled with a combination of my aunt' recipe and our sister-in-law's recipe.

Two Kitchen-aids to make the frosting




Then the day before the wedding, my mom, cousin Megan and I made all the frosting.  The day of the wedding several aunts and an uncle frosted the cakes!
Decorating the morning of the wedding!


It was really simple to make our own cakes...and we had GREAT RESULTS!  And 2.5 cakes left over!
Endless cake...


So, I share here the recipe!


Carrot Cake


No Oil, Refrigerate Cake after cooling.

3 eggs

1 cup gran sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cup flour


1 cup raisins

1 ½ cup crushed pineapple (drain slightly)

1 cup coconut

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ cup apple sauce (sugar free)

2 cup carrots chopped fine


Cream together eggs, sugar, apple sauce at low speed. In separate bowl
combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder and add to creamed
mixture. Then add vanilla.

Lastly add carrots, raisins, nuts, pineapple and coconut. Mix on low speed.

Pour cake mixture into a 9 X 13 greased and floured pan. (or 2 – 9” rounds)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour 9 X 13 or 9” rounds bake 45 minutes. Test with
toothpick. Cake done if toothpick comes out clean.

When cool frost with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below.

Then refrigerate.

Cream Cheese Frosting


1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)

1 4 oz stick butter (softened)

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Mix together well cream cheese and butter, add vanilla and powdered sugar
and mix well so it is a little fluffy.

Frost cakes and refrigerate for best results.



Thursday, July 12, 2012

HAWAII BOUND

Saturday, I'm off to the only US state that can grow Cocoa beans!

I hope to see large waves, eat chocolate, drink Kona Coffee and AVOID SUN BURNS!

Wish me luck!  Pictures to come hopefully!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Tropical Chicken Tacos

Saturday, while getting my hair done, I found a new magazine, that I wanted to try about 7 recipes out of.  So, I took it home with me.

Magazine:  "Clean Eating"
April/May 2012

Page 51

Tropical Chicken Tacos

Marinade:
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup low fat coconut milk
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 Tablespoons minced pineapple
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 - 4oz chicken breastes

Salsa:
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 cups cubed pineapple
1 loosely packed cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup toasted unsweetened coconut
1/8 tsp salt

For Tacos:
12 - 6" corn tortillas

Instructions:
1.  In large mixing bowl or zip lock bag combine all ingredients for marinade.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the Refridgerator(NOTE: Chicken should not marinate for more than 8 hrs)

2.  Meanwhile, prepare the salsa, cover and refrigerate until needed( Salsa can be prepared up to 1 day in advance)

3.  Heat a grill or a grill pan(use some safflower oil if using a pan).  Cook chicken until throroughly cooked through (about 12 minutes).   Remove from heat; transfer to a cutting board let rest for 5 minutes, then slice up and divide among tortillas.

Top each with salsa!

The salsa bowl, almost gone!

a half eaten taco


I WILL make this recipe again.
I can't wait to make the other 6 recipes from this magazine that I am excited about!