Carrot Cake Cupcake with Italian Cream Filling

4 eggs
1 1/2  cups oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dark seedless raisins (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pans with liners.

2. In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat eggs, oil and sugar.  Reduce speed to low; beat flour, baking soda cinnamon (I used Saigon cinnamon--more flavorful) and salt.


3. With spoon, stir in carrots, raisins, walnuts and vanilla.  My husband doesn't like raisins and I was out of walnuts so I skipped those for these cakes, but they are delicious with them!  Fill prepared pans.  Bake for  approx. 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

4.Cool.  I used my new favorite Italian Buttercream to fill them.

ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM

Total prep time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Egg whites 1/2lbs.
Sugar 1lb.
Butter 1 1/2lbs.

You can find pictures and directions for the buttercream here: Italian Buttercream

5. Then I topped them with cream cheese frosting and one peanut butter chip just for decoration.
Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese
1 cube margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cup powdered sugar

Mix well. 

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French Macaroons

Happy Thursday everyone!  What better way to start your day then with a plate of pretty pink french macaroons?  But beware, the recipe for these yummy cookies is not for the novice...and unfortunately I didn't take step-by-by pictures of the actual cookie-making process for this post.  So sorry...

I learned how to make these cookies from a local culinary store where I took a class with a few of my friends.  It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.

The first item you need is a good scale to weigh all of your ingredients.  I purchased  mine from a local culinary store, it is manufactured by ADE in Germany.

 INGREDIENTS

Almond flound 300 g
Powdered sugar 300 g
Egg whites#1 110 g
Food coloring Tt
Granulated sugar 300 g
Water75 g
Egg whites #2 110g

METHOD:
1. Sift the powdered sugar and combine with the almond flour.
2. Stir in the first egg whites and food coloring by hand.  Cover with plastic wrap unitl ready to use.
3. Cook sugar and water to 118 degrees Celsius.
4. When sugar reachs 115 begin whipping egg whites.
5. Turn whites down to medium or low speed and pour in the sugar.
6. Return machine to high speed and whip until cool.
7. Add meringue to almond dough slowly.
8. Fill piping with #102 and 103 straight tip.
9. Pipe cookies roughly 1.5" in diameter roughly 1" apart. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the sheet pan.
10. Let macaroons sit at room temperature uncovered for (at least 40 mins.) 1 hour.
11. Set black oven to 375 degrees.
12. Bake cookies for 10 minutes rotating half way through. Remove from oven and take cookies of sheet tray immediately.  Tip: @ 8 mins. open and close oven 3 times to give cookies air.
13. Store in freezer until ready to fill. Once filled store them in the refrigerator.

Yield: 72 cookies

You can fill these cookies with lots of different fillings/flavors.  That is what makes these cookies so yummy.  I used a wonderful Italian Buttercream.

ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM

Total prep time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Egg whites 1/2lbs.
Sugar 1lb.
Butter 1 1/2lbs.

Measure egg whites

Measure sugar

METHOD:

1. Warm egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until warm to the touch and all of the sugar is dissolved.

2. Whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes. 

Lower to medium speed and whip until cool. 

The finished meringue should be shiny and smooth. 

3.Gradually add the soft butter with the mixer on medium-low speed.  Whip until smooth and light.

Flavor as desired.

Chocolate Buttercream: add 2.5 oz. chocolate

Hazelnut Buttercream: add 3 oz. praline paste, dash vanilla

Coffe Butttercream: add Sanka powder (2 packets dissolved with a small amount of hot water), dash of vanilla

Pipe inside cookies.

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