Carrot Bread

Carrot Bread Martha Stewart Try this recipe from chef Jim Lahey's "My Bread" cookbook for a fun fall treat.

Ingredients One 10-inch round loaf. 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt 1/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed carrot juice 3/4 cup currants 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Directions In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, and yeast; add carrot juice. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until a wet, sticky dough is formed, about 30 seconds. If it's not really sticky to the touch, add another tablespoon or two of water. Add currants and walnuts and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl and let stand until surface is dotted with bubbles and dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours. Generously dust work surface with flour. Using a bowl scraper or rubber spatula, scrape dough out of bowl in one piece. Using floured hands or a bowl scraper, lift edges of dough in toward center. Tuck in edges of dough to make a round. Place a clean kitchen towel on work surface. Generously dust towel with flour and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Gently place dough on towel, seam side-down. If dough is tacky, dust top lightly with flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over dough to cover and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. Dough is ready when it is almost doubled in size and holds an impression when gently poked with a finger. If it springs back, let rise 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, one half hour before the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack set in bottom third of oven. Place a covered 4 1/2-to-5 1/2-quart cast-iron, high-quality all-ceramic, or enameled cast-iron (with plastic handle removed and screw hole plugged with aluminum foil) in the center of rack. Using pot holders, very carefully remove preheated pot from oven and uncover. Unfold towel and quickly but gently invert dough into pot, seam side-up. Cover pot, return to oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until bread is a deep chestnut color, 15 to 20 minutes more. Using a heatproof spatula or pot holders, carefully lift bread out of pot and place it on a rack; let cool completely. **I make this with apple juice instead of carrot juice

Polka-Dot Birthday Cake

Martha Stewart

The cake has a tart flavor from the orange zest and is filled with sweet orange marmalade. If you prefer, you may replace them with lemon zest and lemon curd, or omit the zest and fill the cake with other types of jam, such as raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry (be sure to strain any seeds before using). To decorate the cake pieces, we used red, orange, yellow, turquoise, and royal-blue gel-paste food colors.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sweet orange marmalade
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Food colors

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; butter parchment and sides of pan, and dust with flour. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low, add butter 1/2 stick at a time; beat until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add half the milk mixture, and increase speed to medium-high; beat 1 minute. With mixer running, slowly add remaining milk mixture. Beat 30 seconds more.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Bake until golden on the top and edges are pulling away from the sides, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert onto wire rack. Remove parchment; let cake cool completely.
5. Cut cake in half, into two 8 1/2-by-11-inch pieces. In a small saucepan, heat marmalade until it is syrupy (strain as needed). Spread over one half; let cool at least 10 minutes. Top with remaining half.
6. Cut cake into 8 pieces, each about 3 by 4 inches. Cut parchment paper into 8 pieces, each 4 by 5 inches; set a piece of cake on each. Measure 2 1/2 cups buttercream; set aside. Using a small offset spatula, thinly coat top and sides of each piece with some of the remaining buttercream to seal in crumbs. Transfer cakes on parchment paper to a baking sheet, and place in refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator; cover each piece with a final layer of buttercream, smoothing top and sides with the offset spatula. Return baking sheet to refrigerator.
7. Place 3/4 cup reserved buttercream in a small bowl; tint it red for the numbers. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco #11 large round tip. Divide remaining 1 3/4 cups reserved buttercream among four small bowls; tint each a different color. Transfer all but one color to separate pastry bags fitted with #11 tips. Place remaining color in a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco #5 small round tip to make tiny dots. Remove cakes from refrigerator. Using red frosting, pipe numbers 1 through 8 on top of cakes, a different number on each. Pipe dots around numbers with other colors. Return cakes to refrigerator.
8. To assemble, remove cakes from refrigerator, and remove parchment paper. Arrange cakes on a serving tray, forming a hopscotch or other desired pattern. Serve.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Cake

Martha Stewart

Cookies can be baked a day in advance; assemble the cake just before serving.

Ingredients

Serves 10

• 7 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
• 1 cup strawberry jam

Directions

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter, peanut butter, and sugars into mixer bowl; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and yolk. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.
2. Remove 2 1/2 cups dough. Divide it in half; shape into disks. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Add molasses to remaining dough in mixer; mix on low speed until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #7).
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured parchment, roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Transfer with parchment to baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Cut dough into 2 1/2-inch squares; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Pipe molasses dough around edges for "crust." Score diagonally. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
6. Bake until centers are pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Carefully break each cookie at scoring. Spread 1 teaspoon jam on half of the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies.

Moist Devil's Food Cake

Martha Stewart

Great swoops of glossy frosting make this a wonderfully exuberant cake with a dark backdrop for birthday candles. But this cake is just as suitable for afternoon snacks or a Sunday supper. It keeps well for several days stored on the counter: Cover with plastic wrap or a glass dome to keep the cake from drying out.

Ingredients

Makes one 8-inch round layer cake

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• Mrs. Milman's Chocolate Frosting

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in 1/2 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking. Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
5. Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate frosting over the top. Add the second cake layer, and spread with another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with third cake layer. Cover outside of cake with the remaining 3 cups frosting. Serve.

Coconut Cake Frosting

Martha Stewart

This delicious coconut cake frosting recipe is courtesy of Robert Carter from the Peninsula Grill, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ingredients

Makes enough for 1 cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Directions

1. Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until creamy.
2. With mixer on low speed, slowly add vanilla extract, seeds from vanilla bean, and confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Coconut Filling

Martha Stewart

This delicious coconut cake filling is courtesy of Robert Carter from the Peninsula Grill, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ingredients

Makes enough for 1 cake

• 5 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Directions

1. Place cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. Add to cream mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coconut is finely chopped. Remove cream mixture from heat and stir in coconut until well combined. Transfer to a large baking dish; let cool.
4. Cover filling with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Just before using, place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes

Simple Syrup

Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Makes enough for one cake

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Place water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.