Running Club Cake

This is the red velvet cake made for a potluck at the local running club called "BURN".

Red Velvet Unicorn Cake

My friend requested a red velvet cake. So I looked for recipes online and settled on following the one from Sally's Baking Addiction. I cut the red food color by half so my cake is not so brightly red, but hopefully healthier. The recipe is good for a 2-3 layers 8-9" cake, depends on the height desired. I actually doubled the recipe and split it into a 4 layer 8" round cake and a 2 layer 9" round cake.

Ingredients

Cake flour - 3 cups
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 TBSP
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup, softened to room temperature
Sugar - 2 cups
Oil - 1 cup
Large eggs - 4, room temperature and separated
Pure vanilla extract - 1 and 1/2 TBSP
Distilled white vinegar - 1 tsp
Buttermilk - 1 cup, room temperature (can DIY by mixing 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice with 1 cup milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes)
liquid red food coloring - 0.5 to 1 oz, or use gel red color
Cream Cheese Frosting for icing
Swiss Meringue Buttercream for flower decoration because cream cheese frosting seems too soft to pipe details

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or lightly butter cake pans, could be 2-3 8" or 9" cake pans, depends on how many layer and how tall the cake will be.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the oil and beat on high for 2 minutes.
4. Add egg yolks and the vanilla. (Set the egg whites aside.) Beat on medium high speed until combined. Beat in the vinegar and the food coloring until you reach your desired color.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk.
6. Vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites until thick and foamy, about 3 minutes. Fold into cake batter with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.

7. Pour batter into cake pans filling 2/3 or less full. Bake for 20-35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack.

9. For the unicorn cake, I have made the horn and ears with fondant two days ahead. The horn is made from white fondant, and painted with golden edible glitter.  The ears are painted pink inside with diluted pink gel color.

10. Stack up the layers and decorate. The cream cheese frosting is soft at room temperature and the layers slips, so I inserted a wooden dowel in the middle.

Make ahead tip:
The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let it sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting. Frosted cake can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Carrot Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A classic cupcake that is very moist and lightly spiced.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1.5 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Finely grated carrots - 1.5 cups (about 3 carrots)
Sugar - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - 3/4 cup
Large eggs - 2, at room temperature
Buttermilk - 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cream cheese frosting

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together carrots, sugar, egg, buttermilk, and oil. Then fold in the flour mixture.
4. Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

5. Bake until golden brown or a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes ti the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. Frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting. The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

There are difference variation of the cream cheese frosting. For my first try, I use the Wilton's cream cheese frosting recipe. It makes about 6 cups of frosting.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter - 1 cup,  softened
Cream cheese - 16 oz, softened

Confectioners' sugar - 8 cups, about 2 pounds
Milk - 1 TBSP

Steps

1. In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until light and fluffy. 

2. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat on high until smooth (30 - 60 seconds). If icing seems too thin, add confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it seems too thick, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until icing reaches desired consistency.

Note

According to cook's illustrated, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises refrigerating any food made with cream cheese after 2 hours (that includes time spent making the food). In general, that seems like sound advice. However, we feel comfortable leaving the frosting for our Simple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (see related content) out for up to 8 hours, since we know that sugar acts as a preservative and that the amount we use is more than 50 percent of the weight of the cream cheese."

Green Smoothie

Ingredients

Banana - 1/2, peeled
Orange - 1 medium, about 1.5 oz, whole peeled but with pith intact
Pineapple - 1 inch thick slice with core, peeled
Spinach - fresh, 1.5 cup packed (60g)
Grated lime zest - 1/8 tsp, or a thin slice of lime with peel
Agave nectar - 2 TBSP (or use honey)
Ice cubes - 1 cup

Steps

1. Place all ingredients into Vitamix in the order listed and secure lid

2. Select Variable 1
3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10 then to High
4. Blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency.

Pasta with Lamb Ragù

Soffritto is simply a combination of onions, celery, and carrots in a 2:1:1 ratio, sauteed together to provide a flavor base for other ingredients to build upon. It is called mirepoix in France. These vegetables are cooked for about 5 minutes until they soften and become “dorata” or golden in color, at which time other ingredients are added such as rice, meat, broth, tomatoes etc. Soffritto is the Italian word for “under-fried” or “fried slowly” and perfectly describes the process of gently cooking the vegetables in oil to soften them and release their flavor.

Lamb ragù is a hearty and simple pasta sauce recipe that is built on soffritto. It is wonderful served over pasta or rice. Top with feta and slivered fresh basil or mint.

Ingredients

Lamb - 1 lb, chopped. or use grounded lamb

Onion - chopped, 1 cup

Celery - chopped, 1/2 cup

Carrot - chopped, 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1 large, diced

Red pepper - 1 large, diced (optional)

Tomato paste - 1.5 TBSP

Red wine - 1/2 cup

Bay leaf - 2 pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot. Cook and stir until onion is translucent.

2. Add lamb; cook and stir until almost cooked through. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high. Let cook, stirring occasionally until wine has nearly evaporated. Add tomatoes, stirring them into mixture and breaking them into smaller pieces. Bring to boil.

4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until ragù is thick and flavors have fully melded, 1 hour or more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve lamb ragù over hot cooked pasta or rice. If desired, top with crumbled feta and fine slivers of fresh basil or mint.