Spring is in the Air...Somewhere...Out There...

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's rainy and dreary but no longer frigid - that MUST mean spring is coming, right? One can dream. To usher in the new season, I bring you a few recipes that celebrate warmth, flowers, and sunshine. Here's hoping...

Expand your idea of "traditional...."
Cocoa-Carrot Cake with Cocoa Crumble
William Werner

Ingredients
Crumble

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour (3 ounces); see Note
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1/3 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 2 cups shredded carrots

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the butter and beat at medium-low speed until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Press the mixture into 1/2-inch clumps and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Spread the clumps on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until fragrant and firm. Let cool. Wipe out the mixer bowl.
2. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In the mixer bowl, combine the sugar with the eggs, oil, crème fraîche, ginger and vanilla seeds and beat at medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients at low speed, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the carrots.
3. Scrape the batter into the pans and top with the crumble. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean; cover the cakes loosely with foil during the last 30 minutes of baking. Transfer the pans to a rack and cool for 1 hour.
4. Lightly wrap the top of each cake in a sheet of foil to prevent the crumble from dislodging. Top with a rack and invert the cakes; remove the pans. Turn the cakes right side up and let cool completely before serving.

Anytime you combine these flavors, happiness ensues...

Lemon-Poppy Seed Sandwich Cookies

Bon Appetit, March 1997

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cookies:

1. Mix flour, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in egg, then poppy seeds, lemon peel and extracts. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 21/2-inch-diameter fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather scraps; reroll and cut out more cookies. Chill cookies on baking sheets 15 minutes.
3. Bake cookies until edges just begin to color, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely. Repeat rolling, cutting and baking with remaining dough. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 1 month.)

Filling:

1. Beat all ingredients in large bowl until light and fluffy. Spread 2 teaspoons filling over bottom of 1 cookie. Press second cookie, bottom side down, onto filling. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Typical spring...

Lemon Layer Cake

Ben Mims

Ingredients

Cake and Syrup:

• 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans, sifted
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup lemon zest
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 10 egg yolks
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 9″ cake pans, and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together milk and vanilla in a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 batches and wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase speed to high and beat until batter is smooth, about 5 seconds. Divide batter between prepared pans, and smooth top with a rubber spatula; drop pans lightly on a counter to expel any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in pans; invert onto wire racks, and let cool. Using a serrated knife, halve each cake horizontally to produce four layers; set aside. Bring remaining sugar and juice to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat, and set syrup aside.
2. Make the frosting: Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, zest, and salt in a 4-qt. saucepan. Add yolks, and whisk until smooth; stir in juice. Stirring often, bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, and transfer to a bowl; chill the lemon curd. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and 1/4 of the curd on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add half the remaining curd, beating until smooth, and then add remaining curd and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat frosting until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. To assemble, place one cake layer on a cake stand, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting; top with another cake, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Place another cake over the frosting, drizzle with 2 tbsp. syrup, and spread with 3/4 cup frosting; top with remaining cake, and drizzle with remaining syrup. Cover top and sides with remaining frosting; chill cake to firm frosting. Serve at room temperature.

Happy baking!