This carrot sheet cake is delicious! Whenever I make it I wonder why I don’t make it more often, since it’s so easy! Both the cake and frosting have the perfect balance of sweetness and great to make for a party since you can get 24 large pieces out of it or 32 more sensible pieces. Also, this cake is a little healthier than other cakes, since it includes shredded carrots and crushed pineapple 🙂 .

Fall is the perfect time for carrot cake and makes a great dessert choice for Thanksgiving. When you bake the cake it makes your whole house smell so good, with all the fall spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. It’s also a great dessert for Easter…add a few bunny decorations to it too to make it perfect for Spring!

You can decorate this cake however you like. I used it as a group birthday cake this go around so I decorated with little carrots for each of the birthday people, to show it’s a carrot cake, and then added garden tags to each carrot with the birthday persons name on it.

You will need:

For the carrot cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, partially drained
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional topping)

Steps:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl, whisk oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, pineapple, and vanilla extract then add in shredded carrots and combine well.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a Dutch whisk or spatula/spoon until combined. Make sure you don’t overmix.
4. Pour batter into sheet pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and spread evenly.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.
7. In the meantime, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.
8. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to mix until creamy.
9. Lastly, add heavy whipping cream and mix until well incorporated and frosting is whipped…about another minute.
10. Spread frosting over cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans. If you are decorating with colored frosting, then sprinkle pecans around decorations or leave off completely, if you prefer.
11. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Best to eat within a few days after making.

Kali Orexi!

This post has been a long time coming. Around the 4th of July this year I had a wonderful opportunity to experience making authentic tamales with my sisters friend and co-worker, Monica. My sister was telling me of her weekend plans of friends getting together and helping out with making tamales and I asked her to ask the hostess if I can come too…yes, I basically invited myself 🙂 . Of course she was happy to have me…the more the merrier, right? Well, at least the more hands the more tamales, and the faster it goes!

I’ve ALWAYS wanted to learn how to make tamales (because I LOVE them so much), so there was nothing better than hanging out and socializing with some fun ladies and men, having a drink, and making these yummy bundles of joy…because we DID get to eat as many as we wanted after we were finished! Plus, she sent some home with us AND she had some left over masa dough so she gave it to me to take home and experiment with different fillings…which I did!

A little history lesson, because I was curious and thought I’d let you know what I found out…Tamales originated from Mesoamerica, as early as 8000 to 5000 B.C. then spread to Mexico, Guatemala and the rest of Latin America. The word “tamale” comes from the Nahuatl word “Tamal”, one of the Aztec’s primary language during their empire.

Anyway, back to my experience…we basically watched Monica make the masa dough and then we set up an assembly line where one person made the masa rounds with a tortilla press, another filled it with a couple of ingredients, then onto the next couple of ingredients. At the end of the line they wrapped them in the dried, and slightly rehydrated, corn husks and tied them on each end…what cute little bundles! And there you have yourself a tamale…well actually about 200+ when we were all done!

When we got there the pork filling was already done (oh, the smell was so good when we entered the house, and the taste was AMAZING…of course I asked to taste it…I am a cook, that is what I do…eat…all the time) so I didn’t get to see how she made it but I did see her make the masa dough. I was writing frantically, so many details, so I may not remember everything exactly how it happened but the dough is forgiving. Even if you put a little more or less of this and that it should still turn out great! Also you kind of go by how the dough feels so you may need a little or more of something then the measurements below suggest.

Let me try and deconstruct the components and how they were made (at least how I remember them being made or what I remember Monica telling me).

Chili Pepper Sauce

The chili pepper sauce was made with ancho and guajillo chilies, garlic and onions. You rehydrate the chilis in hot water, or broth from cooking your pork (if using meat), then add some coarsely chopped garlic and onions, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and chicken bouillon granules and blend it, with seeds and all, until it becomes a smooth sauce and then strain…which will leave back any seeds or big chunks.

Fillings

Pork: I don’t have the exact measurements and ingredients for the pork filling Monica made, but I asked questions and got the main ingredients and some steps, I deduced some things on my own 🙂 . Basically, you cook bone-in cuts of pork meat in enough liquid to cover the pieces for about an hour, or until slightly tender. Remove the bones from the meat and put the meat (slightly break up the chunks) in another pot along with some of the chili pepper sauce you made, some of the pork liquid, chicken bouillon powder, Spanish olives, salt, pepper, and one blended medium to large fresh tomato (you can blend this in with a batch of the chili pepper sauce to add to pork), and simmer for another hour. If your house smells wonderful then the recipe is good 🙂 .

Some other ingredients we used with the pork filled tamales were:

• parboiled carrots and potatoes strips
• zucchini strips
• pickled jalapeno strips

Cheese & Veggie: A second filling that was used was a simple cheese and roasted poblano filling. The cheese used was Oaxaca cheese. Oaxaca cheese basically has the flavor of Monterey jack cheese but the texture of Mozzarella. She uses this cheese instead of Monterey because it doesn’t melt as easy, therefore doesn’t ooze out of the tamales when steamed. Of course I LOVE Monterey jack and the fact that it is creamy when melted so I tried one of my versions with Monterey at home, and she was right, a lot of it oozed out, but it was still soo good!

Masa Dough

The masa dough she made used a ratio of about 8 ounces of lard to 2 pounds of masa. Of course you don’t need to use lard, you can use vegetable shortening or butter, but Monica says it just turns out better with lard…everything is better with some fat! You also add about 2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon, 1 tablespoon of salt, 4 cups of the pepper sauce mixed with 2 cup of the pork broth (the pepper sauce gives it a nice color) to the 2 pounds of masa flour (give or take, depending on how think you want the dough to be). If you are pressing the dough before filling it should probably be a little firmer than if you are spreading. I updated some of these ratios in January of 2023. Also, you can use a mixture of pork and/or chicken broth if needed. Tastes just as yummy!

Dried Corn Husks

Basically you just add as many dried corn husks to hot water and let them sit for about 15 minutes to an hour, until they are pliable. It seemed like 15 minutes was enough time for me.

Assembly & Cooking

Take a tortilla press and line the bottom and top with a cut up piece of a gallon freezer bag, big enough to cover over the top, as well, before pressing. Alternatively, use cut up freezer bag with a rolling pin to roll out thinly (that is what I did at home since I didn’t have a tortilla press). They don’t look as round and pretty but you can’t tell the difference after you wrap them up. Measure your masa out to about 53 gram balls then press/roll to about a 1/6th inch thickness.

At this point, one person pressed the dough, added it to the softened corn husk and passed it on to the others for the assembly line to start doing its work 🙂 . Fill each masa flat with a little of the strained pork filling (you don’t want a lot of liquid on the tamale), a strip each of carrot, potato, and zucchini, and a couple strip of pickled jalapeno (or just the cheese and roasted poblano if you make that version). Using the corn husk, roll up the masa flat with filling where it rolls the inside without the husk getting stuck into the filling a lot. It really doesn’t matter if the husk is rolled into the dough, but I prefer it not being in there too much since then it breaks the tamale when you try to get it off after its cooked. Kind of like how you would use a bamboo sushi mat but at the end you roll the husk over the roll to keep it all intact. You can tie each end of the husk with a torn string of husk, if they are small enough, or you can fold over the excess and tie with a string of husk in the center…be creative, as long as it blankets the filling well.

After they are all wrapped you can start steaming them. We layered them horizontally on a steamer in a pot of simmering water (add some chicken stock or bouillon to water to impart flavor into the tamales when steaming), make sure the water isn’t hitting the steamer basket and cook for 40 minutes to an hour, replenishing the hot water, if needed. Take out and let cool to touch before eating. Top with additional chili sauce or whatever you want and enjoy! Whatever you don’t eat you can refrigerate or freeze. If you freeze them just take them out the night before to thaw in refrigerator then reheat them.

The quickest way to reheat any left over tamales is by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and then put them in a steamer bag or freezer bag and close it most of the way, leaving about 2 inches open at the end and microwave for about 25 seconds. If you don’t put them in a bag they get kind of dry.

My Tamale Versions

Chicken filling: Since I got to take home the extra masa dough I made some of my own versions of tamales the next day. They turned out wonderful. I enlisted my daughter to measure and roll the masa dough for me, and I made my Greek chicken in tomato sauce recipe and used it as one of my fillings along with a strip of parboiled carrot.

Potato filling: My other filling consisted of the following ingredients all mixed together, at the end I added a little salt and pepper to the mixture. You can mix as much of each ingredient together as you want to make it tasty for you and your family. It was a wonderful spicy bite!

• roasted red jalapeno and poblano peppers, chopped
• roasted corn on the cob, kernels cut off of the cob
• boiled potato, coarsely mashed (I actually boiled my potatoes in the stewed chicken juices after I pulled the chicken out…made the potato very flavorful, then used some of the liquid again to add to my shredded chicken)
• sautéed chopped white onion
• strips of Monterey jack cheese (this ingredient you don’t mix in, you just lay a strip on top of the filling, although I guess if you chop it up in small dices then you can mix it in…I think I’ll try that next time.

I topped my tamales with a chili lime crema that I made by mixing some chili powder, lime juice and zest, and Mexican crema together…yummo!

What a wonderful experience and opportunity this was…I am ready to learn some more traditional Latin dishes from Monica! What’s next?

Kali Orexi!

If you have ever had a good cannolo then you know how yummy they are with their slightly sweet and creamy interior and crunchy outer shell. Some are embellished with chopped pistachio’s or mini chocolate chips on each end and dusted with powdered sugar on top. There are many versions you can make.

As I was craving, and making, the traditional Italian version of this dessert a little light bulb went off in my head…I thought the way to make it even better is to pair it with one of my favorite Greek desserts…diples! I mean, everything is better with a little honey, walnuts, and cinnamon, right 🙂 ? Plus, I love the texture of the diples shells more than the cannoli ones, so, this version is “Greeked-up”. It’s a cross between Greek diples and Italian cannoli.

For this recipe I dipped the Greek diples shells into the sweet honey and orange flavored syrup and then filled it with my cannoli filling and topped with a drizzled of honey followed by chopped walnuts and cinnamon…and there you have Greek and Italian fusion at it’s finest! For the traditional Greek diples, click here.

For traditional Greek diples shells you typically add mastixa or maraschino liquor, or plain freshly squeezed orange juice in the dough. Since this is Greek/Italian fusion I used Marsala wine since it is typically used in Italian cannoli shells.

You will need:

Diples Shells:

• 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted into the flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Marsala wine or orange juice
• Canola/vegetable oil for frying

Cannoli Filling:

• 16 ounces whole milk ricotta, strained
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Dipping Syrup:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (pulp strained)
• a few slices of orange peel
• 1 small cinnamon stick

Topping:

• Honey, for drizzling
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (more if needed)
• cinnamon

Steps:

For the shells:

1. In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine sifted flour and baking powder together with whisk and remove 1/4 cup of it and set aside, and make a well in the center of the mixing bowl.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar with fork until well incorporated, about 20 seconds, then slowly add the liquor or orange juice and combine, then pour into well of flour mixture.
3. Start off using a fork to slowly combine the flour mixture into the liquid, then use your hands to fully combine. At this point, if it is too sticky (it should be a little sticky) add the remainder 1/4 cup of flour mixture in, as needed. Whatever flour you don’t need you can use to lightly flour your surface to knead dough. If you don’t have any flour mixture left just use some plain flour, as needed.
4. Place dough onto slightly floured surface and need for 3 to 4 minutes until it is smooth and tight, then let rest, covered with a towel, for 30 minutes.
5. After dough has rested for 30 minutes, re-knead it for a few more minutes then cut off a portion of it and roll out into REAL thin layers, where you can almost see through the sheet. As you are rolling it out, sprinkle some flour on the dough if you see it starts to stick on your pin.
6. Once you have rolled it as thin as you can without tearing the dough, cut into a short rectangle (what is a short rectangle? It is a word I made up…lol. It’s a square that is just a little longer on one side, you don’t want them too long). You can cut them as big or little as you want. It depends how large you want your diples/cannoli to be. I like to get three good bites out of them so I cut mine approximately 3 by 4 inches. Each one doesn’t have to be exact if you don’t care that they all look symmetrical. Fry up any small edges too, you can leave them as is and process the same way as the shells for some light snacking 🙂 .
7. As you cut your pieces lay them in a paper towel lined pan in single layers with a paper towel in between each layer. Once you have cut all your pieces its time to fry them up.
8. Heat a wide pan, that has about 2 1/2 to 3 inch sides, with about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil to about 340-350F, adjust temperature as needed to not overbrown them.
9. Having two forks in hand, add a piece of dough into oil (lay it in away from you). When you see it puff up on the bottom side quickly turn it over to the other side with the forks (this process will take 2 seconds). Once you turn it and it puffs up on the other side, use your forks to help gently roll the dough to form a cylinder, be careful not to puncturing the dough (see video below). Continue with rest of the pieces.
10. Place your completed shells (as you make them) on a paper towel lined sheet tray to drain and cool.

For the cannoli filling:

1. Make sure your ricotta is well strained. You can put it in a sieve in the frig overnight or if you don’t have that time you can layer it onto a small sheet pan with about 4 paper towels under it and then cover with 4 more paper towels and press out the liquid. You may need to keep replacing the paper towels until most of the liquid is gone.
2. Mix all the cannoli filling ingredients well and cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
3. When ready to use, give filling a good mix and then add it into a piping bag. Cut the tip of the bag giving it no more then a 1/2 inch opening.

For the dipping syrup:

1. Add all ingredients into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for a couple minutes until you are sure all the sugar has melted.
2. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to dip. Once you are ready, warm it up again and turn off heat.

Assembly:

1. Find the shells that have a wider opening in the shell. This will make it easier to fill with cannoli filling.
2. Take a shell and dip it into the warm syrup, making sure to turn it and get the syrup into the shell. You may have to tilt your pot, with the syrup, to one side a little to get the syrup all in the shell.
3. Place dipped shell onto a platter and continue dipping shells until you have as many as you want.
4. Gently pick up one of the dipped shells, they are delicate and will be a little sticky, and using the piping bag with filling gently squeeze in filling as much as far in as it can go, then turn the shell around and squeeze in filling from the other side. Set it back down on platter and go to the next one.
5. Once you have filled all the dipped shells, drizzle honey on them and then sprinkle a generous amount of chopped walnuts on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Best if eaten shortly after you fill them, but as long as you have strained the ricotta well, then you can store filled shells in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours for best results, otherwise the shell will get too soggy.
6. If you have left over shells (that didn’t have a good opening in them to fill) then you can use those to make traditional Greek diples, or you can store undipped shells, covered, in a cool place for a week or two and only use them when when you need them.

Kali Orexi!

Video on how to fry diples dough: