Spring Carrot Cake

      This Saturday I went to a yoga class at a local brewery. (Yes, take a moment to appreciate that I get to go to drop-in yoga classes at a brewery. Lord knows, I am grateful for them!) The instructor talked about following your intuition and the path of your heart, versus making a decision out of fear in the desire of "taking the safer path." Right now, I feel somewhat at a crossroads with life and not knowing exactly what my heart says versus what is the decision made from living in fear. Sometimes we get so muddled in our heads; it is hard to balance and remember what we even really want. 

       It is times like this I turn to my mixing bowls. I start in the motions that I know. The motions that bring me peace. I mix my wet ingredients and my dry ingredients. I bring them together, get them in the oven and I wait until they begin to produce some new glorious smell in the kitchen. I think such a simple thing sometimes awakens my heart enough that I can hear it again and start to sort it all out. 

      The simplicity of a cake is sometimes all you need to bring you to a more grounded place. Cake is nostalgic and I think carrot cake in particular has strong a resonance of comfort. This carrot cake does not venture to far off your traditional versions, but there are two things I particularly love about it.

     First, it is not a spice cake. It has cinnamon and it lets that speak, but it is not overwhelmed with it; nor is it packed with an elaborate spice blend found in so many carrot cakes. This is simply an extremely moist carrot cake with hints or warmth. I also love that is it is packed with tang and citrus throughout. There is an extremely subtle orange simple syrup, which would be impossible for the eater to pick out, but adds that extra oomph. The cranberries, tart and zingy, are a bright and chewy addition scattered throughout.

Sometimes, the best thing about cake is eating it with the people you love. You can spot a glimpse of my co-baker in the back :)

     Finally, the lemon cream cheese frosting is made with lemon zest and juice. It delivers a sweet tang to the cake and creates an absolutely heavenly balance. Then the walnuts on the side add a creamy nuttiness. Their crunch and natural richness are a perfect compliment for the bright frosting. 

     Everyone has had carrot cake, and there are so many recipes for it. I can tell you though, particularly with spring abloom, this one is worth making. 

Adapted from the absolutely awesome, Joy the Baker's Cookbook by Joy Wilson

Ingredients:
Cake
3 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 TSP baking powder (2 TSP at sea-level)
3/4 TSP baking soda (1 TSP at sea-level)
1 TSP salt
2 TSP ground cinnamon
3 large eggs+1 large egg yolk
1 C granulated sugar
1 C + 2 TBSP packed brown sugar
1 3/4 C canola oil
1 C chunky (preferably homemade) applesauce
1 TSP vanilla extract
1 TSP hazelnut extract (or 1 more TSP vanilla extract)
3 C grated carrots
1/3 C moist, dried cranberries 

Instructions:
1. Place racks in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 F. Grease, line with parchment, and flour 2, 9" round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars and eggs until fully incorporated. Next, carefully add in the oil and patiently mix it in until it has fully combined with the sugar and eggs. It will seem like a lot of oil, but don't worry, just keep stirring and it will all work out :) 
4. Add the applesauce and extracts to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry in one go and mix to incorporate but try to do it in as few strokes as possible. Stir around the edges and bottom and fold it for the most effective motion. 
6. When it is almost fully mixed together, add the carrots and cranberries and finish folding together. 
7. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the center.
8. Let the cakes cool for 15-20 minutes on a rack before inverting.

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C (1 stick), unsalted butter, softened

Pinch of salt

2 C powdered sugar

2 TSP vanilla extract

2 TSP lemon zest

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 C chopped walnuts for garnish (optional)

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment:
Beat the cream cheese for one minute, until light and pliable. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the butter and beat for another one to two minutes until there are no clumps left and the two are fully incorporated.
Add the lemon juice, zest, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat on a low speed until everything is almost fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides, and beat at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and all the powdered sugar has disappeared. 

Orange Flower Water Simple Syrup (optional): this will keep you cake moist for a longer time
Place 1 C water, 1 C sugar and 1.5 TSP in a medium sauce pan on medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. (You could also use 1.5 TSP orange juice. It will be slightly different but if you wanted the oranginess. Also you can just make plain simple syrup and leave out the flavoring).
-You will have extra, you can half the recipe or just store in your fridge for any cakey goods you make soon. It lasts a good while. 

Assembly: 
Once the cake has completely cooled, place your first round down. Brush or drizzle on the simple syrup over the entire puck. Top with frosting and spread it evenly to the edges. 
Repeat with the second layer, this time topping it with all of the frosting, spreading it evenly out to the edges and then carefully spread down and around the sides with an spatula. 
Garnish the sides or top with nuts depending how you like it and how patient you want to be with trying to get nuts to evenly cover the sides.

Serve immediately. This cake will last about 3-5 days in your fridge.

Love, 
Boulder Butter

Shaker Lemon Pie

    I have heard of this pie for a long time, and have always wanted to try one. However, it is not common to walk into a pie shop and see this beauty shinning on the counter. Although it should be there-ready to turn into lemon goops of happiness on my spoon. Since that is the case, I decided with lemons in full seasonal swing, I would make this pie myself. 

    The neat thing about this pie is that it uses the WHOLE lemon. Unlike another way to use whole lemons in tarts by pureeing in a food processor, in this pie the lemons are macerated as thin slices in sugar for a long time. Some of them dissolve almost completely and some remain in full rings; this creates an experience of texture as you dig into the pie. The top rings candy and form these chewy delicious bits, the inside melts together to a sweet lemon custardy-curd like filling and the piecrust creates the perfect flakey vehicle of balance. 

    This pie is what I dream my breakfast could be every day. Sub flaky piecrust for toast and lather on lots and lots both of lemon curd AND lemon marmalade. Sub in ice cream or whipped cream for your yogurt. I will be sad to return to my toast when it is all gone...and I love toast.

Ingredients: 

1 9" single pie crust

4 small or 2 large lemons
1 3/4 C sugar
1/4 TSP salt
4 eggs
4 TBSP melted butter
3 TBSP flour

Instructions:
1. Wash and dry the lemons thoroughly. Zest them and place the zest and sugar into a large (non metal) bowl. Slice the lemons very thinly by hand or using a mandoline and remove the seeds.
2. Bring some water to a boil, then add the lemons for one minute, then quickly remove and add them to ice water to quickly cool for 1 minute. Strain them lemons to remove most of the excess liquid. Add the lemons to sugar and zest and stir to combine. Let them sit at room temperature for 6 hours (the will form a thickened, syrupy lemon sugar mixture during this time. 
3. When the lemons are ready to go, preheat the oven to 425F, roll out and prepare your crust, place it in the pan and put it in the fridge while you finish preparing the filling. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until frothy. Add the butter and flour and mix to combine. Finally stir that into the lemon mixture. 
5. Pour the filling into the piecrust and bake for 30 minutes at 425F, then turn down the heat to 350F and bake for 15-25 more minutes until the filling is set. Remove and let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. 
*It is fine and good warm, and you will not be able to resist its smell, but believe me enjoy it warm, then store it in your fridge and wait for the true treat to come once it is cold the next morning! Or if your ridiculously patient, you can wait to cut into it until then...I definitely was not.

Citrus Baked French Toast

        I must let you guys know the most important fact about this before I go any further: it is the most ridiculously simple, sweet breakfast, which yields irresistible results. You can throw it together in minutes the night before, get up on a lazy morning and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Sip on your coffee and relax, then voila yourself and others will beam with happiness. 
      French toast already has a simplicity appeal.  However, this kicks it up a notch to essentially all hands off in the morning with still getting to eat an epic breakfast. Isn't that just so awesome? 

     It was particularly perfect for my purposes of a brunch potluck on Sunday. The night before, my roommate and I went out to a concert that we had been long awaiting. Around 8 o'clock, I took the whole 10 minutes this requires to put it together, placed it lovingly in my fridge, and prepared to dance the night away. 

        After a luxurious sleep-in sesh the next morning, I woke up, took it out of the fridge, preheated the oven, and popped it in. I walked away and got ready for company-you might be able to hear my sigh of relaxation right now. Thirty minutes later, I was meet with puffy topped, golden brown, custardy, warm, blissful French toast and the guests began to arrive. My friend was kind enough to bring a whiskey and cayenne maple syrup that make the custardy texture and bright citrus flavors simply sing with happiness in my mouth. 

      For brunch party folks or those simply wanting a mouth-watering, smell-wafting dish in their house on a lazy Sunday morning, I cannot emphasize enough how much this is for you. A lot of baked French toasts call for much more of everything: more eggs, both milk and cream, more this, more that. I can fully attest it is not necessary for the texture you seek. You only need the basic things you probably already have on hand to create a whimsical weekend morning of French toast, coffee, and appreciation of the finer things in life. 

Ingredients:
1 loaf challah (nothing fancy needed)
3 c whole of 2% milk 
3 eggs
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 TSP salt
1/4 TSP cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Instructions: 
1. The day before, slice the challah in 3/4-1" slices. Lay it out and let it sit on your counter for the day, flipping over when you happen to be in the kitchen (no worries if you're not around though).
2. At night, arrange the slices in a 9x13 baking dish in two layers. Sprinkle half the zest on the first layer, lay down the second, and sprinkle the rest on top. 
3. In a bowl, melt the butter, let it cool for a few minutes. Next, whisk in the milk, eggs, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
4. Pour the mixture over the bread, cover, and place in the fridge over night. 
5. The next morning, take the French toast out, uncover and let it sit out while the oven preheats to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is lightly golden and puffed up. Remove, cool for 5 minutes and serve with butter and maple syrup.  

For the Whiskey Maple Syrup:

Melt 4 TBSP of butter in a sauce pan over low heat. Next add in 2 C pure maple syrup, 1/4 TSP cayenne, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, 1/4 C+ 1 TBSP whiskey, and stir until the ingredients have mixed together evenly. Remove from heat, allow the syrup to cool, and transfer into a glass serving bottle. 

This could be you. 

Love,

Boulder Butter 

Buttermilk Chess Pie

       When I was a kid, My Grandfather used to come down to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with us. During one of his visits, my dad, sister, grandfather and I were driving in the car, and we got into a discussion of everyone's favorite types of pie. (For the record, mine was apple with crumble topping at the time.) Dad and Hattie listed theirs and finally Grandfather named "Chess Pie." Much to Grandfather's disappointment, none of us had even heard of Chess Pie. We inquired as to what it was and Grandfather explained "It is like pecan pie, without the pecans." To this, my Dad responded, "So you mean it is just the goop?" At this moment, my Grandfather become endearingly indignant, and in a deep tone spoke the voice of a wise pie sage, "It is so much more than just goop, Scottie." The three of us of course burst out in laughter.

       Although it was the pie my Grandfather named as such an ultimately tasty treat many years ago, I only just now bought my large jug of buttermilk and went home ready to experience this pie. From when I finally looked up what was in it-cornmeal, eggs, lots of delicious buttermilk, and some bright citrus- I knew Grandfather had been right to take such a tone with us. It is so much more that just goop.

       It is a lusciously gentle lemon custard, just slightly and pleasantly textured by a small amount of cornmeal. The filling is reminiscent of a southern grain style pudding which is then baked inside a perfectly, flakey, buttery crust. The buttermilk gives the classic smooth, buttery, goodness so characteristic of its presence in baking. However, the biggest and most welcomed surprise was the top of the custard. Instead of being soft and pudding like, the sugar and cornmeal form an extremely thin sugar top crust. Therefore, when you first tap your fork down over the top to sink in, there is the smallest and most satisfying crunch. This is the Southern pie the majority of America still needs to find out about, because it is just gosh darn delicious. Thank you Grandfather for being the sage of pie eating, even when your younger generations were clueless!

Very slightly adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day

Ingredients:
1 9-10" unbaked pie crust (I used Back in the Day's but pick your favorite)
4 TBSP (1/2 Stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP yellow cornmeal
1 pinch of fine sea salt
3/4 C buttermilk (low-fat)
1 TBSP lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 of an orange and 1/2 a lemon

Oven Temp: Start 350 (first 10 minutes), down to 325 (last 45-55 minutes)

Instructions:

1. Roll out your pie dough to a 12" round and place it into a greased 9" baking dish. Cut off the excess piecrust and poke the crust with a fork. Allow the piecrust a final rest of an hour in the fridge.
2. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter with a hand mixer (or paddle attachment in your stand mixer) until it is light and fluffy.

4. Add in the eggs in, one at a time, until they are fully incorporated.

5. Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt and beat on low until just incorporated.

6. Add the lemon juice, buttermilk, and zest and mix to combine.

7. Remove the crust from the fridge, pour in the mixture and bake at 350 F for the first 10 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325 and continue to cook for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is set.

8. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cook for at least 2 hours at room temperature before cutting.

Vanilla Lemon Cookies

              I absolutely love cookies. Every kind, during every time of the year, for any occasion. The cookie is one of the most perfect packages of sweetness in the world. With summer in the air, and the heat at crazy highs, I wanted to create a refreshing cookie. I wanted something that would be a scrumptious afternoon nibble while you sit on your porch and sip on ice tea. (Yes, in my mind we all have porch sitting time, which is easily as important as breakfast time). This led to the creation of the Vanilla Lemon Cookie. The cookie itself is moist with a slight crumble and a smooth vanilla flavor. It is reminiscent of a vanilla wafer, but infinitely kicked up by its added lemon zest and homemade quality. However, the best part is easily the delicate lemony glaze! Its tart and balances the cookies so wonderfully, while adding a slightly crunchy outer layer before you sink your teeth into the soft cookie center! This is a wonderful summer cookie and made with ingredients usually already in your pantry, so go ahead and whip it up this afternoon.

Cookie Ingredients: 
1/2 C Butter, room temperature
1/2 C Sugar 
1 Egg
1 TBSP Vanilla Bean Paste (or Extract or 1 Vanilla Bean scraped)
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 C Flour
1/4 TSP salt

Oven Temp: 350 F

Directions:

1. Add the room temperature butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer, until creamed. It will appear, light yellow and fluffy. Make sure to cream to this point. This is why its very important you start with room temp butter! Properly creaming the butter is the key to well formed cookies. These are what your step one should look like when you stop.
2. Mix in one egg

3. Mix in Vanilla Paste and Zest 



*Vanilla Bean Paste is a favorite product of mine! You can see the vanilla bean flecks without having to buy the pods. It adds a beautiful touch to your baked goods. Not to mention, the flavor is absolutely delicious.
4. Mix together the flour and salt and add them to the wet mixture in two batches.

Adding second half of flour mixture.

5. The second key to a good batch of cookies, is allowing them rest time. So wrap the batter up and let it  sit for a few hours or overnight in your fridge! I mean it.
6. After the rest time, scoop them out onto a cookie sheet and get them into the 350 F oven. Let them bake for 15-16 minute. Watch carefully in last minute. They are done when the edges are golden. 

Use an ice cream scoop for even sizes.

Icing Mixture:
Whisk together the juice of one lemon and 2/3 C of powdered sugar.

7. When the cookies have cooled, set up your icing station.  I placed my cooling rack on top of my sheet tray so excess icing could drip below.
8. Dip each cookie into the mixture, turn over to cover all sides, lift and allow the excess to drip off.

These guys were gobbled up in no time! 

Happy Summer and a very Happy Father's Day-especially to my dad, who would happen to adore these cookies. I love you :)