Ingredient: cream cheese, room temperature

Blueberry Carrot Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Carrot Cake

Spring is here and it’s the season to eat carrot cake! Many people have strong opinions about which add-ins are best to use in carrot cake. Some popular ones, besides the carrots themselves, include nuts, pineapple, raisins, and even coconut. My Blueberry Carrot Cake came about when I was thinking about making a breakfast carrot cake. I replaced the typical add-ins with blueberries and the results were so delicious. I originally made this cake with a maple-butter glaze which was perfect for a breakfast cake. For Easter brunch, I opted to dress up the cake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting, fresh blueberries and lilacs. This combination is magical.

Blueberry Carrot Cake

Moist, subtly spiced carrot cake studded with blueberries and topped with blueberry cream cheese icing by Brownie Mischief
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Blueberry Carrot Cake

  • 1 ¼ cups (159g) all purpose flour, sifted plus 1 teaspoon for the blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • â…” cup (148ml) avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (80g) finely shredded carrots
  • 1 cup (142g) blueberries plus extra for the top of the cake

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons (14g) frozen defrosted blueberries, with the liquid To use fresh blueberries instead of frozen, see notes below.
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) whole milk or half & half, room temperature
  • Food-safe or edible pesticide free flowers optional

Instructions
 

Blueberry Carrot Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil together until well blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth and well incorporated. Stir in the carrots. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
  • In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 37-43 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Smash the blueberries with a fork and press through a sieve into a small bowl.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth.
  • Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the smashed blueberries and beat until smooth. Add milk, if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.

Notes

To use fresh blueberries for the frosting, place the blueberries in a small saucepan with a teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or water. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries start to soften. Smash the blueberries with a potato masher. Press this mixture through a sieve into a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Keyword blueberry, cake, carrot

Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake

If you search loaf cakes on the internet, you’ll find an abundance of “copycat” recipes. For some reason, everyone is trying to copy a loaf cake from a popular coffee shop. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not a fan of the rubbery neon slice. I’d rather have a slice of soft, fluffy cake with a burst of fresh citrus flavor and buttery frosting. If that sounds good to you too, you’ll love this recipe. I used the reverse creaming method to make this cake, which produces a soft, velvety crumb. Brushing the cake with orange simple syrup keeps it moist and flavorful. This recipe is for an orange-vanilla bean cake but it can also be made into a lemon version. See the notes below.

Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake

Soft, fluffy vanilla bean and orange scented loaf cake topped with silky vanilla cream cheese frosting by Brownie Mischief
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Orange Simple Syrup

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake

  • 1 â…“ cups (170g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (175g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 medium oranges
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (59ml) whole milk, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • ½ teaspoon pure orange extract

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) powered sugar, sifted
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1-3 tablespoons (15-45ml) whole milk or half & half, room temperature

Instructions
 

Orange Simple Syrup

  • Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

Orange Vanilla Bean Loaf Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, mix the sugar and orange zest, with an electric mixer or by hand, until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. On low speed, beat in the butter until the mixture looks like sand.
  • In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla bean paste and orange extract together until smooth and well combined. On low speed, gradually beat this mixture into the sugar mixture until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Do not over mix.
  • Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Do not over bake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack. Brush the warm cake all over with orange simple syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then frost with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a medium-size bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the butter and beat, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth.
  • Gradually mix in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of milk and beat until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. Stir with a spatula to smooth out any bubbles.

Notes

To find an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, click here
To make a lemon version of this cake, replace the orange zest with lemon zest. Replace the vanilla bean paste with 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and replace the orange extract with 1 teaspoon of pure lemon extract. For the simple syrup, replace the orange juice with lemon juice.
Keyword cake, orange

Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This incredibly easy-to-make cake is like a sleeper that takes you by surprise. The two-ingredient frosting is an unlikely winner, but will end up pleasantly surprising you, especially when the salted caramel is added as a finishing touch. The combination of sweet potatoes and marshmallows is a classic pairing that will remind you of a sweet potato casserole in cake form. My family adores it and I think you will too. If you’re not a fan of marshmallows you can frost this cake with my silky cream cheese frosting instead. Click here for the recipe.

Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting and Salted Caramel

Soft moist, single layer sweet potato cake topped with a luscious 2-ingredient frosting and drizzled with salted caramel
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9 servings

Ingredients
  

Sweet Potato Cake

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly ground
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • â…” cup (148ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240g) mashed cooked sweet potatoes*
  • 1 batch Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below
  • 1/3-1/2 cup (98-148g) salted caramel sauce homemade or store bought

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces (227g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 7.5 ounce (213g) jar of Marshmallow Fluff

Instructions
 

Sweet Potato Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla, with an electric mixer or whisk by hand until smooth and well combined. Stir in the sweet potatoes until incorporated. Mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 23-28 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Add the Marshmallow Fluff and beat with an electric mixer just until smooth and well combined. Don't over beat. Over beating can cause the cream cheese to curdle.
  • Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Drizzle the caramel over the top of the cake or top each piece of cake with a spoonful of caramel.

Notes

*It's okay to use canned sweet potatoes if you don't have fresh ones. Make sure to rinse them before using.
Keyword cake, sweet potato