happy good friday!
in these difficult times, i hope that everyone is still able to find some joy and time to slow down and relax. catch a breath, let yourself feel down if you have to, take a deep breath, and try to look at the positives. it’s so easy to let yourself drown in negatives, but light is all around us, if you just look. (our fave headmaster said something like that).
i’m so grateful for everything i have around me and cannot stop counting all the things i feel so lucky to have.
1. i get to social distance with my mom, dad, sister, bro in law, most adorable and fun nieces, and our doggies in our warm, loving home.
2. when we feel cooped up in the house, we get to go outside for walks, kick a ball around, ride our bikes, and soak in the sunshine!
3. i’ve had more time than ever to experiment with my baking.
4. amazing home cooked meals eaten with everyone everyday is such a blessing.
5. when we run low on cooking supplies, it has not been too difficult to find them at our local stores.
6. my niece and i are still able to continue our education with online resources and our amazing teachers/professors.
7. iced coffee still exists.
8. we have our health and we have each other.
i could go on forever, really. but i want to send out all my love to anyone who feels they need a little extra today.
my sister made a fantastic carrot cake for my niece’s birthday a few weeks ago and i haven’t gotten carrot cake off my mind since then! it’s one of my fave cakes ever– moist af, perfect blend of spices, always a crowd pleaser, and so easy to make! AND who doesn’t need that extra serving of veggies right?!
it’s springtime and easter is right around the corner! i wanted to create something simple yet cute and festive! these perfect little tea cakes are baked right into your cupcake/muffin pans, then flipped upside down! i poured a pretty pink lemon glaze over them and topped them off with the cutest bunny sprinkles! they come together so quickly and are perfect to put in the middle of your easter spread!
INGREDIENTS:
makes 12-14 cakes
for carrot tea cakes
1 1/2 c (180 g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground all spice
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c grated carrots
for glaze
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
2 drops pink food coloring gel, optional
sprinkles, optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease a non stick cupcake pan with cooking oil spray or butter.
make the cakes. in a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. whisk until combined. in a separate bowl, combine sugars, eggs, and oil. mix to combine well. then mix in sour cream and vanilla to combine thoroughly. mix in the grated carrots.
pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. do not over mix.
spoon the batter into the cupcake pan, filling each muffin tin only half way. you don’t want to overfill them because we want the tops to be relatively flat when we flip them over!
bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer inserted comes out clean.
cool completely before carefully removing the cakes from the tins.
make the glaze. once the cakes are completely cooled, make the glaze! i chose a lemon glaze here to balance the cake with a bright flavor. but you can totally go plain vanilla glaze here! just replace the lemon juice with milk and add a tsp of vanilla extract!
in a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon juice. mix well until thoroughly combined and a pourable consistency. optionally, add food coloring for a fun pop or color!
pour about a tablespoon of glaze over each cake and finish off with your favorite sprinkles!
that’s all! carrot cakes are so amazing because they taste great days later too!
ENJOY! xx