Sarah! That cake looks great! And sounds so yummy! Thanks for the post and Happy Birthday again! :)

Cream-Cheese Frosting

[Recipe has been doubled to accomodate carrot cake in previous positing.]


12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (Andy used Neufchatel)

6 tbsp butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract


- Combine the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Beat well or process until perfectly smooth and spreadable. You will have enough to fill and frost an 8-inch 3-layer cake.

Dark Carrot Cake

Recipe courtesy of The Fannie Farmer Baking Book

Andy made this cake for my birthday, and it was simply devine - moist, chewy, and, at times, crunchy because of the nuts. Yummy!

[Recipe has been doubled to make a three-layer cake (3 8-inch round cake pans)].

2 cups milk
4 eggs
12 tbsp butter, melted
2 cups dark-brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups grated raw carrot
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups raisins
Cream-Cheese frosting (see next posting)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 8-inch round pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter, and beat with a fork until well mixed. Add the sugar and beat well. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg, and add them to the first mixture. Beat until just blended. Stir in the carrot, walnuts, and raisins. Spread evenly in the prepared pans.
- Bake for 45 to 50 mins, or until a broom straw or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 mins, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Spread with Cream-Cheese frosting.

[May need to modify baking time, as instructions above are for the original recipe, which is to make one 8-inch square cake.]

This recipe makes a huge amount of cake - three layers, 8-inches across. We had to freeze just over half the cake because there was so much!

Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Tart

This is a nice summer dessert- esp if you crave chocolate occassionally like I do! :) Use your fresh farmers-market raspberries- the fresher the better. Note: I made a mistake with the topping so yours will not look quite like mine (I accidently boiled the raspberries- dumb- I know! You are just supposed to boil the jam to make a glaze and then sprinkle over the fresh raspberries- see below)
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Kahlú a, other coffee flavored liqueur, or strong coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups fresh raspberries (three 6-ounce containers)
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

Preparation:
Using on/off turns, mix flour, butter, and sugar in processor until coarse meal forms.

Mix egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Add to processor; mix until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Fit dough into pan; trim overhang. Freeze 20 minutes.

Bake crust until golden, 25 minutes; cool.

Meanwhile, bring cream just to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in liqueur and vanilla. Cool ganache 15 minutes.

Transfer cooled crust to platter. Spoon chocolate ganache into crust and smooth top. Arrange raspberries atop chocolate. Stir raspberry jam and 1 1/2 teaspoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Brush warm glaze over berries. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.