Carrot Cake Muffins TWO ways

This is a great carrot cake recipe I have been making for more than 20 years. Back in the day when I was a buyer, one of our vendors sent me a cookbook to place in our stores . . . don't remember if I ever bought this particular one, I think I did, but I found this recipe and loved it! The book is Bobwhite Quail & Buttermilk Biscuits.
When the kids were little I would make it for Easter. I have a bunny head shaped muffin pan that was perfect and we would ice and decorate. Recently, I baked them as regular muffins but still wanted that cream cheese flavor without icing them and turning them into more of a cupcake. This is what I came up with. . . a cream cheese filling adapted from another recipe and it worked beautifully. I have included all of the icing variations offered in the book. I have never tried the Glaze, but now that I have taken a closer look, I may have to try it soon!
I also love that this batter can be mixed so easily by hand.



INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 C Salad Oil, I use Canola or Vegetable oil
2 C Sugar
2 C Cake flour, I use all purpose
2 tsp. Baking Powder
3 C Grated Carrots
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
4 Eggs
1 C Chopped Pecans, optional

PREPARATION:
Grease and flour 3, 9 inch round cake pans, or line muffin pans with paper liners, or grease and flour a shaped pan, your call.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine oil and sugar in a large bowl, mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients. Sift half of the dry ingredients into the sugar/oil mixture. (I don't double sift as it describes in the recipe, I sift once then follow the remaining directions.) Sift remaining dry ingredients alternating with the eggs one at a time. Add carrots and mix well. Stir in pecans. Pour batter into the prepared pans. If baking muffins, fill cups 3/4 full, bake plain or add a teaspoon full of the cream cheese mixture. I did half and half.
Cake: Bake for 25 minutes, rotating if necessary and test with a toothpick. Muffins: bake approximately 15 minutes, I always rotate half way through baking and test a couple of minutes prior to test for doneness. Every oven bakes differently, so get to know yours and adjust temperatures and cooking times accordingly.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1 Stick Butter, softened
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 C Finely Chopped Pecans
1 box Confectioners Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla, I also like almond extract for a change
I don't put nuts in both the cake and the frosting, I think it is a little overkill.

PREP: Combine butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add nuts and spread on the cake.

CARROT CAKE GLAZE:
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Buttermilk
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 T. Light Corn Syrup
Dash of salt

PREP: Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thickened, about 2 or 3 minutes. That is all the recipe says, I am guessing you just pour or spread it over the cake layers??? I will have to try this.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
5 1/2 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1/3 C powdered sugar

PREP: Mix cream cheese and egg until combined well. Mix in the powdered sugar. Scoop a full teaspoon into the center of each muffin and bake.

Profiteroles/Gougeres

Fresh from the oven: profiteroles, can be eaten just as they are or stuffed with just about any filling you can imagine. They also freeze wonderfully and re-crisp easily in the oven. I prefer to re-crisp them even when serving the same day.

Tiny ham stuffed gougeres make a fantastic appetizer.




INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup finely grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
1 C water
5 T butter
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 C AP flour
5 Large eggs
Special tools: a 40, 70 or 100 cookie scoop
I like to use a 40 scoop if filling or use 100 to serve all by themselves. I almost always double the recipe for a party . . . you will get 24 sandwich size from a single batch. I bake more and fill with a variety of fillings.

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grate the cheese. In a medium sauce pan heat the water, butter, salt, and pepper over medium high heat and bring to a boil. When butter is completely melted, remove from the heat and add all the flour to this mixture in a stand up mixer bowl. If you don't have a stand up mixer, you can mix right in the pan with a wooden spoon, but be ready for a workout!
Beat on medium high with your paddle attachment until the dough leaves the side of the pan. The texture should somewhat resemble mashed potatoes.
Add the cheese and beat until incorporated. Beat in 4 of the eggs, ONE AT A TIME, until each is absorbed by the dough. Continue to beat until the dough is shiny, smooth and when pinched between finger and thumb, it will stretch.
Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Beat the last egg with 1/2 T. water and brush the tops of the uncooked puffs.
Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes an golden brown. You can tap them to test doneness, they should sound hollow. Remove from the oven and serve or store air tight or freeze in baggies to re-crisp and serve later.

To Re-Crisp: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, heat 3-5 minutes if room temperature or 5-8 if frozen. Check for crispness often during reheating as ovens may vary.

Slice 3/4 of the way through with a serrated knife and fill with you favorite sandwich pairings. Here are a few I enjoy: ham with spicy mustard aioli, roast beef with sundried tomato aioli, chicken salad, curried chicken salad, turkey with lemon arugula mayonnaise. You can also switch the cheese to 1 1/2 C Parmesan and play with the seasonings as well, adding curry powder, garlic powder and nutmeg. NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME THOUGH!

Focaccia

Another recipe that is well worth the time. There is nothing that can compare to freshly baked homemade bread. Plan ahead, it is one of those things that you fool with a little everyday and the more you do it the easier it gets. The Poolish can be made up to three days in advance, the longer you let it ferment prior to baking the more intense the flavor in the final product. I prefer to give it at least one day.

INGREDIENTS:
Poolish
2 1/2 C Unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 C Water, room temp.
1/4 tsp Instant yeast

Prep:
Stir together the flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl until all of the flour is hydrated. The dough should be soft and sticky. Cove the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. The sponge will become bubbly and foamy. Immediately refrigerate the dough, it will keep up to 3 days.

Focaccia:
3 C Poolish
2 2/3 C Bread flour
2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Instant yeast
6 T Olive oil
3/4 C Water, lukewarm
Non-stick cooking spray
1/4-1/2 C Herb Olive oil or Plain Olive oil
Topping: Kosher salt, 1 1/2 T Rosemary or other Herb of choice, 1 C Caramelized onions, Cheese, use your imagination!

Prep:
One hour prior to making the dough, remove poolish from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, mix together, flour, salt and yeast with an electric mixer. Add the oil, poolish and the water, mix with the paddle attachment until it forms a large sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium for 5-7 minutes, or as long as it takes to form a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl. You may need to add some additional flour to reach this stage.
Sprinkle a 6 inch square area of flour on work surface and transfer dough to the flour. Dust dough with additional flour and pat into a rectangle. Allow dough to rest 5 minutes and relax.
Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size and fold it letter style and return to rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with non-stick spray and dust with flour again, cover with plastic wrap.
Allow dough to rest 30 minutes, then stretch and fold again, mist, dust with flour and cover. Rest 30 minutes then repeat this step again.
During the final rest, line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet pan) with parchment. Drizzle 1/4 C of the Olive oil over the paper and spread to cover the bottom of the pan with your hands or a brush. Oil your hands and using a metal dough scraper, lift dough into the prepared pan retaining the rectangular shape. Pour the remaining oil over the top of the dough and using your finger tips only, dimple the dough spreading it to fill the pan as much as possible. You should reach a thickness of 1/2 inch. DO NOT use the heal of your hand to press the dough. Dimpling the dough to spread with your finger tips will allow gas to remain in the non dimpled sections. You do not need to reach the edge of the pan, the dough will rest an additional 15-30 minutes and will grow as it proofs.
Heat oven to 500 degrees, with the oven rack in the middle of your oven. You can sprinkle with salt at this time, other toppings will need to wait until later in the baking process. Place the pan in oven and lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for 5-10 minutes until the dough begins to turn a light golden brown. At this point, add toppings, sprinkle over bread and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer focaccia out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Peel parchment away if it is stuck to the bottom of the bread. Allow to cool for 20 minutes prior to cutting.