APPLE & CARROT CUPCAKES + CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

 

this weekend i will be heading up north for the last wedding of the year. a muskoka cottage wedding taking place in port carling. BUT before i leave, i want to leave you with these cupcakes! i think it is safe to say the cupcake trend is over-ish. i don't know, i certainly don't see a zillion cupcake shops anymore, cupcake wedding "cakes" (i hate them. sorry, not sorry.) or food network shows based on cupcake making wars. though, cupcakes will always be one of my favourite variations on cake! you can't beat the frosted swirl, the ratio of cake to frosting or the all around cuteness of a cupcake. these ones are inspired by.. you guessed it.. the colours of FALL. red & orange sprinkles to compliment apple & carrot filling. the cupcake is light, moist & topped with a super creamy cream cheese frosting. while i usually make frosting on the sweeter side, i kept this frosting a bit tangy. now i can pretend it is a breakfast cupcake! just an apple & carrot muffin topped with some cream cheese, you with me?!

ingredients

for the cupcake

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup grated carrots (1 medium size carrot)
  • 1 cup grated apples (1 large apple)

for the frosting

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 8oz brick cream cheese, cold

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a bowl sift flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon & nutmeg.
  • in a separate bowl beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until light & fluffy.
  • fold in grated carrots & apples.
  • stir in dry ingredients until just combined, do not over mix.
  • divide evenly amongst 12 lined cupcake tins & bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. let cupcakes cool while you make your frosting.
  • for frosting: beat butter, sugar and vanilla on high until light & fluffy (about 8-10 minutes). throw in cream cheese one tablespoon at a time until it is JUST evenly combined. the frosting should remain fluffy. if you over mix it will turn runny.
  • pipe or frost cupcakes as desired. finish off with sprinkles!

BASIL CHICKEN STEW + GIVEAWAY

 

STEW SEASON IS BACK! this past weekend in toronto the weather dropped. the air was crisp, i put on my favourite knit grey sweater & decided it was finally time to make stew. figures it is back to summer weather this week, but let's just ignore that & talk about this stew. you probably thought until now i ate cookies & cake for breakfast, lunch & dinner. however, most of the time i eat healthy, vegetable rich meals. soups & stews are something i can make in my sleep. they are perfect for a cozy sunday afternoon & the left overs make for a healthy, hearty, homemade work day lunch. this particular stew is super healthy, as i pack a ton of veggies & lean chicken into it. if you want to make it even healthier, feel free to swap out the chicken legs for chicken breasts (but i prefer the bones to give it some additional flavour). lastly, using fresh basil, freshens up the dish & gives it a subtle rather then overwhelming flavour. now blow the dust off your cocotte & lets get stewing!

PS. there i am hosting an amazing giveaway on instagram with polders old world market that you should probably check out. it's a $350 giftcard to get yourself some hand carved wood dreamware!

ingredients:

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, pealed & chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
  • 1 cup diced potatoes
  • 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 chicken legs
  • salt & pepper
  • 5 cups chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsely
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
  • 1 cup frozen peas

directions:

  • in a mixing bowl place onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, potatoes and garlic. set aside.
  • to a large stock pot or dutch oven heat two tablespoons of olive oil to medium high.
  • season your chicken legs with salt & pepper and sear on each side. remove from the pot and set aside.
  • add in your bowl of chopped veggies and cook until they begin to soften & the onions begin to turn translucent. season with salt & pepper.
  • add the chicken legs back to the pot followed by the chicken stock, basil and parsely.
  • turn heat on high & bring to a boil. turn back down to medium low & let simmer with the lid on for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • if you wish to thicken it with cornstarch add it now by making a cornstarch slurry (to avoid adding it straight to the pot which may result in clumping).
  • finish off with adding your frozen peas and remove from the heat. adding the peas at the end ensures the colour stays fresh & vibrant.
  • serve with a few springs of fresh basil.

MAPLE CINNAMON CAKE

 

my sister is obsessed with fall, maybe even more then me.. ok probably not. while her birthday is technically in mid-august, we weren't able to actually celebrate it with the whole family until september. this then turned into a combined birthday bash celebrating my mom's late august birthday as well. i figured a maple based cake was the perfect flavour combination to go with an early fall celebration! the party was a lot of fun. we ate these ribs & went super italian by holding a boccee tournament. it was like the grown up italian version of a beer pong tournament. anyways, enjoy this dreamy looking cake! it is filled with pure maple syrup & cinnamon, some of my favourite ingredients (i'll get to you in october pumpkin;)). this weekend's gloomy, rainy weather may be the perfect excuse to stay in, get cozy & make yourself this cake!

ingredients

for the cake

  • 3 3/4 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup whole milk

for the frosting

  • 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

directions

  • preheat oven to 325 degrees. grease & flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
  • in a mixing bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. set aside.
  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar.
  • add oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla until light and fluffy.
  • alternate between adding dry ingredients & milk until a smooth batter is formed. do not over mix.
  • evenly distribute batter between the two greased cake pans & bake until a tooth pick comes out clean. about 25-30 minutes.
  • let cool completely before flipping & frosting.
  • to make the frosting beat butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt until light & fluffy. about 8 minutes.
  • frost cake as desired. enjoy!

like what you see? get it here. cake stand | cake turntable | linen