Best Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

It's an Easter tradition!  Except this year, I made it the week after Easter, because hashtag-life-happens!  I wouldn't have even made it, but Mollie and Calvin were disappointed aaaaaaaaaaand Allen's parents came to stay for the weekend . . . so a special dessert was just the ticket.

This is a NO FAIL recipe--it's always moist and delicious.  I keep it fully frosted in the fridge (or, let's be honest, in my cake carrier in the garage, because who has room for a cake in their fridge?) and serve it cold--it's just the best spring time dessert.

Bex Deluxe Cheesecake

The reason this is my favorite cheesecake is because it calls for almond extract instead of lemon juice.  It's such a warm, subtle flavor--I feel like lemon overpowers other cheesecakes I've tried.  And I always prefer a Nilla wafer crust over a graham cracker one.

Bonus: it feeds a CROWD.  You can easily slice it into 16 or even 20 pieces.

1 box of Nilla Wafers, pulsed in the food processor to a fine crumb

Add one half cup melted butter (+ a pinch of salt) and mix till moist

Grease your springform pan with butter or shortening, then press
the crust into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan

You can use a hand mixer or your industrial mixer.  I like to to add
the eggs one at a time while the dough hook on my Bosch is still
spinning.  Because I live on the edge of culinary DANGER, yo . . .

Notice it's not completely smooth--a hand mixer
(or not the dough hook) will beat it much more
smoothly . . . but it was still delightful.

Ready for the oven.  YOU MUST SET THE TIMER so you won't
forget to turn the heat down after 12 minutes.  I have learned
this lesson the hard way, alas.

And here it is.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Basil & Feta Bruschetta

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite appetizers, from one of my all-time favorite people.  I raved about this bruschetta so much that Debbie made it just for me after I had my fourth baby.  Book club blessings, I tell you.

Toast your bread slices for about 6 min @ 350,
then spread with mixed cream cheese & feta

Saute the tomatoes (I used Romas), basil, & garlic for about 5 min

Spoon warm tomato mixture on each slice, then top each
with a small amount of torn, fresh mozzarella

Oh, my.  Yes, please.

Everything Debbie makes is divine.  She loves to cook and she is so good at it.  But really, can anything be betta than bruschetta?

Lemon Bars

You can't go wrong with cream cheese and pecans!

Walnut-Cheddar Cheese Ball

I bet you are all jealous of my amazing book club.  Everyone who hosts always makes something delicious for the rest of us to nosh on while we discuss our book . . . and everything else.

Debbie's Cinnamon Rolls

A delicious book club dessert, made by one of my favorite people!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

A fabulous new recipe from my friend Melanie, mistress o' cookies!  Seriously, she inspires me to get out of my chocolate-chip zone . . . every cookie she's made for me has been reduced to crumbs in seconds.  If you like cream cheese, or chocolate, or cookies, or cake . . . then look no further.  This recipe is your new best friend.  I think the picture speaks for itself.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I made this cake for the first time earlier this week.  It's a favorite recipe of my sister Bonnie, and every time she talked about it, my mouth started to water.

Pumpkiny baked goods always remind me of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but since there's STILL a foot of snow in my back yard, a Winter dessert didn't seem inappropriate for the end of March.  I justified making this dessert with the idea that I'd take some slices to the women I visit-teach . . . but I also ate half the cake myself.

Since it was my first time to bake this cake, I don't feel too bad that I under-greased my Bundt pan.  But that's the beauty of frosting--you are able to disguise your mistakes.

It was delectable.  You can wait for the holidays to roll around at the end of the year . . . or go ahead and bake a "trial cake" to make sure you'll like it come Thanksgiving.  I'm sure you will.

PS- I had about 3/4 cup of frosting leftover, and I was as liberal with it as I could be.  I think you'd be totally safe to halve the frosting recipe and just drizzle it on the upper half of the cake instead of the whole thing.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is one of my favorite recipes from FOOD magazine. It's one of those desserts where I don't mind that one of my kids doesn't like it--more for me.