Carrot Cake

Today, we were invited for coffee at the home one of my dearest friends in Costa Rica.  I decided to make this Carrot Cake for her as a surprise.  It was an over-the-top hit with everyone going back for seconds.

Update - 14-Aug-2012:  We've been invited to spend Costa Rica's Mother's Day tomorrow with friends and I volunteered to bring dessert.  

This recipe calls for an apple, but since they are so expensive in Costa Rica, we don't buy them very often.  Mango, on the other hand is always available in abundance.  I substituted one cup of puréed mango for the apple.  This is so good, I may never use apple again.

Ingredients:
CAKE:

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 4 whole Eggs (or 2 large eggs and 3 egg whites)
• 2 cups Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 cups Grated Carrots
• 1 medium Apple, peeled and grated (or 1 cup of puréed mango)

ICING:

• ½ cup (1 stick) Butter, Softened
• 1 cup (1- 8 oz package) Cream Cheese
• 1 pound Powdered/Confectioner’s Sugar
• 2½ teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup of Pecans, or Walnuts, Finely Chopped

Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Blend the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add it to the first mixture and combine. Then, add carrots and apple, and mix well.  Pour batter into a greased and floured pan (bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 pyrex) and bake at 350° F until done, 25 (sheet cake) to 50 (Bundt pan) minutes, depending on the pan you use.

Cool completely.

Icing:
In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend. Fold in the nuts.

Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Serve, enjoy the over-the-top oral sensation and repeat as needed.

MakeItAgain

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Red Enchilada Sauce

Every now and then I miss some of the great Tex-Mex food we enjoyed in Houston.  Finding canned enchilada sauce here in Costa Rica has presented a challenge.  I started researching online recipes and nothing came close to what I wanted, so I decided to invent my own red enchilada sauce recipe.  

This recipe is very fast and easy to make.  We think it is the best we've ever tasted.  Give it a try and post a comment telling us what you think.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup chili powder

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 cups salt-free chicken stock

6 ounces tomato paste

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes and chili (Ro-Tel)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon hot paprika

½ teaspoon cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½  teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon until paste begins to bubble, about  1 minute.  Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds.  Add garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, cocoa and cinnamon.   Stir to combine.  Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes with chili, chicken stock and salt. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Adjust the seasonings, if needed.  Allow to cool and remove any grease that may rise to the top .Serve atop your favorite beef, chicken, or cheese enchiladas.

Tex Mex

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