CORRECTION – This version of the recipe has been corrected from the version that appeared in the paper. This carrot cake recipe includes carrots. Hey, it happens. June 2, 2022 1700 CST
Summer isn’t all grilling and salads. We want sweets, too.
Snacking cakes are all the rage this year. They aren’t for birthdays, fancy dinners or celebrations. They are simple, the ingredients are usually in your pantry and they bake in a short time.
They are adaptable to substitutions and are perfect for last-minute guests or to quickly satisfy a craving.
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Sheet pan carrot cake
Cake:
- 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 425 mL
- 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
- 1 tsp. baking soda 5 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 7 mL
- 3/4 tsp. nutmeg 3 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/4 tsp. cloves 1 mL
- 1 1/4 c. light brownsugar 310 mL
- 3/4 c. vegetable oil 175 mL
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
- 2 and 2/3 cups shredded carrots 630 mL
- 2/3 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped 150 mL
Frosting:
- 1 c. unsalted butter, softened 250 mL
- 3 c. icing sugar 750 mL
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract 10 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 12 oz. cream cheese, chilled and cut into 12 equal pieces 365 g
- 2 c. pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 500 mL
Cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350 F (180 C).
Grease 18 x 13 inch (45 x 33 cm) rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper and grease parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves together in a large bowl.
Whisk sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together until mixture is smooth. Stir in carrots and nuts. Add flour mixture and fold in with rubber spatula until mixture is just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth surface with offset spatula. Bake until centre of cake is firm to touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for five minutes. Invert cake onto a large cutting board.
Frosting:
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth, about two minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-low, add cream cheese one piece at a time and mix until smooth, about two minutes.
Assemble cake:
Using a sharp knife, cut the cake and parchment in half crosswise and then lengthwise to make four equal rectangles.
Carefully remove parchment from all pieces of cake. Apply icing to one rectangle, top with another piece of cake and apply more icing. Continue until all four pieces are stacked.
Ice the sides and top of the cake and press chopped pecans into it.
Almond-coconut cake with cherries and pistachios
Great with most fruits including rhubarb. Don’t use sweetened shredded coconut because it will make the cake too sugary. Unsweetened shredded coconut is the right variety. If fresh cherries are out of season, don’t hesitate to use thawed frozen or canned cherries.
- 10 tbsp. salted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan 150 mL
- 1 c. almond flour 250 mL
- 2/3 c. all-purpose flour 150 mL
- 1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut 125 mL
- 1 tsp. baking powder 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. table salt 2 mL
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 c. plus 1 tablespoon white sugar 140 mL
- 1/3 c. packed light brown sugar 75 mL
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract 2 mL
- 9 oz. fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted, or 1 1/2 c. frozen pitted sweet cherries, thawed and patted dry 290 g/375 mL
- 1/3 c. unsalted roasted pistachios, chopped 75 mL
- powdered sugar, to serve, optional
Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) with rack in the middle position. Butter a nine-inch (22 cm) round cake pan, line the bottom with a round of kitchen parchment, then butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, the coconut, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup (125 mL) white sugar, brown sugar and almond extract, then whisk until well combined. Whisk in melted and cooled butter. Whisk in dry ingredients. The batter will be thick but pourable.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle with pistachios and the remaining one tablespoon of sugar.
Bake until a toothpick inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until barely warm before removing from pan.
Angel food trifle
Go ahead and cheat. Buy a ready-made angel food cake. I wanted to use up egg whites from the freezer.
- 1 c. sifted cake flour 250 mL
- 1 1/2 c. sugar, divided 375 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 1/2 c. egg whites, about 12, at room temperature 375 mL
- 1 tbsp. water 15 mL
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 15 mL
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar 5 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract, optional 1 mL
Sift flour and salt together. Set aside.
Beat egg whites, water, lemon juice, cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extract on low in a large bowl for one minute.
Increase the speed to medium and beat util the mixture increases in volume about five times and forms soft peaks. It will be slightly translucent with lots of tiny bubbles. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup (175 mL) of sugar, one tablespoon (15 mL) at a time. At this time, the peaks will be firm but not stiff. Do not whip to stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the flour mixture with a spatula.
Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool upside down for about 1 1/2 hours.
To make the trifle, cut the cake into large cubes and layer in individual dishes or a large trifle dish with sweetened fresh berries and vanilla custard.
Doughnut snacking cake
Don’t under bake this cake. The dough is thick and rich. Lightly press in the middle of the cake and have it spring back to test for doneness. Also, if you don’t have an eight-inch (20 cm) square pan, a nine-inch (22 cm) round pan is the equivalent.
- 3/4 c. granulated sugar 175 mL
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c. sour cream 250 mL
- 1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 140 mL
- 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 5 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt 3 mL
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 375 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 7 mL
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 mL
- 3 tbsp. icing sugar 45 mL
Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat it to 350 F (180 C). Coat an eight-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with butter or non-stick spray. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two of the edges.
To make the cake in a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about one minute. Add the sour cream, 1/2 cup butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and emulsified.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well combined and smooth.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a skewer inserted into its centre comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool almost completely.
While the cake is just warm to the touch, brush the top with one tablespoon (15 mL) melted butter and dust with icing sugar. You should have a nice thick layer of icing sugar, more than you think might be necessary. Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to three days. The cake will absorb the sugar on top, so it might need a fresh dusting of icing sugar after the second day.
Adapted from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and farmers’ market vendor at Swift Current, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. She writes a blog at allourfingersinthepie.blogspot.ca. Contact: team@producer.com.
