Ingredient: butter, melted & cooled

Rhubarb Carrot Cake

CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY!

Here in Canada, we set aside the second Sunday in May to honor our mother’s with expressions of love and gratitude.

As I grow older, I realize how many ways I unconsciously emulate my mother. I loved everything about her and as a kid I could never imagine life without her. But in the natural sequence of events, that’s not how it works. I guess along with many other things, I’m grateful for the fact that she was there through my childhood. She passed away at the age of sixty and although she is no longer on this earth, her wonderful memory will live on in our hearts forever.

We are fortunate to still have Brion’s mother, Dolores. We have been able to spend a bit of time with her recently, which was so precious.

This blog is especially to honor: the special memories of my mother for her endless giving of selfless love – my mother-in-law, Dolores, for her kind ways and raising that ‘special’ man I love sharing my life with –my sister Loretta who passed away 3 years ago and to my sisters, Marilyn & Rita, who give so much of themselves to be the great mom’s they are.

In honor of these special women, I’d like to post something to ‘celebrate’ this day. My choice this year is a rhubarb carrot cake with rhubarb cream cheese frosting.

Rhubarb has been a staple in Canadian history since the days of early European settlement, valued for its hardiness, versatility, and medicinal properties. Rhubarb was a reliable perennial for homesteaders and pioneers due to its ability to thrive in Canada’s cold climate. When the homesteaders moved on, and their farms crumbled back into the ground, the rhubarb patch often persisted. The same is true of modern-day cities; every time a house in an older neighborhood is demolished, the rhubarb often remains. The distinctive plants that remain on abandoned farmsteads across the country are a testament to this hardy heritage.

I recall with fond memory, my mother having at least six huge rhubarb plants that bordered her large produce garden on our family farm. At that time I really didn’t take a lot of interest in them, they were just always there and grew huge without anything more than rain and sunshine. Now, of course I love using rhubarb in everything I can think of, sweet or savory.

Vegetable cakes are great for making the most of the seasons. This recipe for rhubarb carrot cake is a recent, modern fusion of two older dessert traditions: carrot cake and rhubarb cake. The combination likely emerged in the late 20th or early 21st century as bakers experimented with popular seasonal flavors. What makes this rhubarb carrot cake so appealing is how the sweet, earthy carrots balance out the sharp tartness of fresh rhubarb. The carrots add this incredible moisture and natural sweetness, while the rhubarb provides these amazing tangy bursts that keep every bite interesting.

This ‘sophisticated’ cake features winter carrots and the first rhubarb of the year in a marvelous merging of two seasons. Of course, the rhubarb cream cheese frosting is truly ‘the icing on the cake’.

I hope anyone trying this recipe enjoys it as much as Brion & I did.

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 Rhubarb Carrot Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword rhubarb carrot cake
Servings
Ingredients
Cake
Rhubarb Cream Cheese Frosting
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword rhubarb carrot cake
Servings
Ingredients
Cake
Rhubarb Cream Cheese Frosting
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Rhubarb Frosting
  1. Combine chopped rhubarb, sugar & a splash of water in a saucepan on medium low heat. Stir regularly until rhubarb reduces. Adjust heat to low & continue stirring for 20 minutes until rhubarb thickens into a jam. Transfer rhubarb jam to a glass bowl & cool in the refrigerator.
  2. Whip butter & cream cheese on high until creamy. Add the rhubarb jam & vanilla to cream cheese mixture. Beat until combined. Add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time & beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter either a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 2 round 8-inch cake pans.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar & buttermilk.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger & salt. Add to the egg mixture & blend well. Add the carrots & rhubarb, gently fold until evenly incorporated into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) & bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Assembly
  1. If baking cake in the 2 layer version, spread the bottom of one cake with a bit of the frosting then top it with the other layer. Frost entire cake with remaining rhubarb frosting & decorate as you wish.
Recipe Notes

• Since there is only the two of us, I only used one layer & froze the other one for another time.

Savory Guacamole Muffins

Guacamole is everywhere these days. Hailed as a nutrient-dense superfood and mixed into everything from omelets to smoothies, prior to the 16th century, avocados were unknown to all but a select few.

When the conquistadors landed in present-day Mexico, they found the native Aztecs eating a green dish called ahuacamolli, made with a never-before-seen fruit. Five hundred years later, it’s found at every Super Bowl party and Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Mexico continues to be the world’s largest producer of avocados. They remain a staple of Mexican cuisine, with slices often accompanying traditional dishes like tacos. But avocados are perhaps best known for being mashed, spiced, tossed together with tomatoes and onions, and scooped up with tortilla chips as ‘guacamole’.

Which brings me to another idea — savory guacamole muffins! This recipe is interesting in that it incorporates all the things you would use to make guacamole in a muffin. They not only make a stand-alone tasty snack but can also be paired with some cheesy scrambled eggs, salmon or cured meats, especially if you’re aiming for a comfort-food-type meal.

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 Savory Guacamole Muffins
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword savory guacamole muffins
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword savory guacamole muffins
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.
  2. Place avocado in a bowl. Using a fork, roughly mash. Add butter, egg, milk & cheese. Stir to combine.
  3. Sift flour, chili powder & baking powder into a bowl. Add avocado mixture. Stir until just combined.
  4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden & scones spring back when lightly touched.
  5. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

Spiced Rhubarb & Orange Cakes

Having frozen rhubarb to bake into a spiced rhubarb & orange cake in the middle of winter is a treat! Rhubarb is treasured by many simply for its sophisticated flavor. Those who love rhubarb, value its tart pungency, which more often than not is mellowed with sugar and made aromatic with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or orange rind.

Sweets are the staple at the end of a meal; the luring incentive for the kids to eat their vegetables, the weakness for many dieters, and the go-to fix for those with sugar addictions.

Hot or cold, a simple mini dessert can turn an average meal into a memorable event. Rhubarb and orange is a much-loved flavor combination, making this recipe a perfect winter dessert. 

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 Spiced Rhubarb & Orange Pudding
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spiced rhubarb & orange pudding
Servings
Ingredients
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spiced rhubarb & orange pudding
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Place orange in a deep saucepan, cover with water. Place saucepan over high heat & bring to a boil. Place a lid on it & reduce heat to low. Simmer until the orange is very tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain, quarter & set aside to cool completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter six-1 cup ovenproof baking dishes.
  3. Place rhubarb, brown sugar, spices, vanilla & water in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer & cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until rhubarb thickens. Remove from heat & set aside.
  4. Place cooled orange quarters with the skin on into a food processor & puree until smooth. Add flour, butter, buttermilk, sugar & eggs & process until smooth.
  5. Divide batter among prepared baking dishes. Place on a baking tray & bake for 40 minutes or until tops are golden.
  6. Serve warm topped with spiced rhubarb & whip cream.

Raspberry Pistachio Muffins w/ Peaches

For some reason, when I was making these muffins, they made me think about when Brion & I had traveled in Europe years ago. You were offered a ‘continental breakfast’ with your hotel stay. Its all pretty common place these days, but as always, the history behind it is interesting.

A continental breakfast is defined as, ‘a light breakfast in a hotel, restaurant, etc., that includes baked goods, jam, fruit, and coffee’. All of which were shelf-stable items in portion sizes that are perfect for large groups of people.

The term continental breakfast originated in Britain in the mid-19th Century. To the British, the continent refers to the countries of mainland Europe. A continental breakfast describes the type of breakfast you’d encounter in places like France and the Mediterranean. Its a lighter, more delicate alternative to the full English or American breakfasts.

Along with being cost effective … you don’t need much staff to tend a few trays of bagels, pastries and carafes of orange juice & coffee in the lobby. Guests like the convenience of the food and the perceived value of getting something for free.

Today, the continental breakfast included in the price of the room is pretty much standard in most hotels worldwide.

Long story short, these little fruit filled muffins fit the bill perfectly!

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 Raspberry Pistachio Muffins w/ Peaches
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French
Keyword raspberry pistachio muffins with peaches
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French
Keyword raspberry pistachio muffins with peaches
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.
  2. In a food processor, pulse pistachios until finely ground. In a medium bowl, whisk together pistachios, flour, sugar, baking powder & baking soda. Add peaches, stirring to coat them.
  3. In another bowl, whisk yogurt, butter, eggs, vanilla & orange zest. Fold in the dry ingredients making sure not to over mix. Divide batter between the 12 muffin cups. Insert 2 or 3 whole raspberries into each muffin. Sprinkle with some slivered pistachios. Push them down a bit into the batter so they don't fall out when the muffins rise.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes or until risen & golden. Cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you wish.

Chocolate Macadamia Nut Wedges

Despite originating in the rain forests of Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia, macadamia trees were first commercially grown in Hawaii. These slow growing, tropical evergreen trees flower differently from most other fruit and nut trees. The macadamia tree grows racemes; a flower cluster with separate flowers along the stalk at equal distances on a central stem. A 10 cm stalk can carry hundreds of tiny flowers. Each raceme spray of 40-50 flowers produces from 4-15 nutlets which ripen into macadamia nuts. These nuts are coveted for their sweet buttery flavor and creamy texture. It takes machinery to crack the shell, which may explain why they rank as the world’s most expensive nut.

We are fast approaching the Christmas season when all things ‘decadent‘ are up front and center in our dessert plans. Some years ago, I made a chocolate macadamia nut flan for a Christmas company gathering. I baked it in a large tart pan, cut it into eight slices, then cut each slice into four ‘wedges‘. It was a good way to serve such an elegant (& expensive) dessert at a stand-up event.

I was thinking of desserts that could be made and frozen ahead of all the hustle and bustle. So nice to pull such decadence out of the freezer and serve on short notice.

Macadamia nuts pair particularly well with coconut, chocolate and fish. They can be substituted for other nuts measure for measure in most recipes and visa versa without compromising the integrity of the original recipe. Some acceptable choices would be Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and cashews.

While this recipe is a bit time consuming, it is well worth the effort.

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 Chocolate Macadamia Nut Wedges
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, Filipino
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, Filipino
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Crust
  1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt & butter. Using short pulses, process until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Add ice water & pulse quickly until the mixture begins to come together but don't let it actually form a ball. Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface & gather it into a ball with your hands. Gently flatten into a smooth disk about 1 1/2-inches thick & wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out, at least an hour.
  2. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit into an 11-inch round tart/flan pan with a re-movable bottom; trim dough flush with rim. Chill 30 minutes or overnight.
Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, sugar & liqueur until combined. Whisk in flour & salt then butter. Stir in chocolate until combined. Pour into chilled pastry shell. Arrange whole nuts on top.
  2. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. & continue baking until crust & filling are golden, about 35 minutes more. If tart is browning to quickly, tent with foil. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
  3. To serve, cut tart into 8 slices then cut each slice into 4 'wedges'.
Recipe Notes
  • You'll notice the chocolate forms a layer on the bottom. If you want it to have a more decadent look, just drizzle a bit more chocolate on top after it's baked.

Zucchini ‘Hummingbird’ Squares with Lemon Drizzle

Created on the island of Jamaica, hummingbird cake was named after the islands national bird, the Red-billed Streamer-tail. These birds are members of the hummingbird family and are only found in Jamaica.

The cake typically has two or three layers with pecans, bananas, crushed pineapple, cinnamon and a cream cheese frosting. Most probably both cake and its name originated as a Jamaican marketing ploy. After Air Jamaica was established in October 1968, the new company chose this beloved hummingbird as its logo. Shortly thereafter, the Jamaica Tourist Board distributed ‘press kits’ to the foreign media. They showcased various ‘local’ dishes, focusing on American consumers, and was intended to attract American visitors to the island.

There are several theories about the origin of the cake’s name. One is that the cake is so delicious it makes you hum with happiness while another is that it is sweet enough for hummingbirds. Yet another theory is that people hover around the cake similar to the way hummingbirds hover around flowers. Foodtimeline.org notes that perhaps it was named after the way the cake draws people in and is eaten quickly similar to the eating pattern of those energetic little fliers.

Unlike traditional banana cakes, the bananas in hummingbird cake are usually left in pieces rather than mashed, providing texture and bursts of flavor along with the pineapple and nuts. 

I am making an adaption of the hummingbird cake but using zucchini instead of bananas and drizzling it with a lemon glaze. I’ve also noticed a few other variations that sound real good. One was with grated sweet potato and roasted bananas as well as a rhubarb one — Yum!


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Zucchini 'Hummingbird' Squares with Lemon Drizzle

Votes: 3
Rating: 4
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Course dessert
Cuisine American

Servings


Ingredients
Cake Batter

Lemon Drizzle

Course dessert
Cuisine American

Servings


Ingredients
Cake Batter

Lemon Drizzle

Votes: 3
Rating: 4
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Rate this recipe!


Instructions
Cake Batter
  1. Shred zucchini into a bowl & add 2 Tbsp sugar; stir to combine. Scrape zucchini into a mesh strainer, set over bowl, allowing zucchini to drain for about half an hour. Press to squeeze out excess juice, then place mixture onto paper towels & squeeze to get out as much moisture as you can.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter & flour a loaf pan ( or mini squares pan); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Toss in walnuts & candied peel. Set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, eggs, yogurt, butter, lemon juice, vanilla, drained pineapple & zucchini. Fold the wet mixture into dry ingredients, just until moistened. Scrape the batter into loaf pan, making sure to smooth the top of batter.

  4. Bake for about 50-55 minutes for loaf (25-30 for minis), or until batter tests done when toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the loaf to cool slightly before drizzling with glaze.

Lemon Drizzle
  1. In a bowl, combine powdered sugar & lemon juice, mixing until smooth. Spoon over warm squares allowing drizzle to set up before (cutting &) serving.