Blog Posts by Saveur

Our version of the always-popular carrot cake is a potluck and bakesale favorite; the addition of crushed pineapple helps to keep it sweet and moist.

RECIPE: CLASSIC CARROT CAKE
SERVES 12 to 14

INGREDIENTS
¾ cup canola oil, plus more for pan
2 cups flour, plus more for pan
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
1½ cups sugar
½ cup buttermilk
3 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup raisins
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Marzipan carrots for garnish (see Making Marzipan Carrots)

RELATED: Luscious Layer Cakes »

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking dish; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together oil, sugar,

Read More »from Perfect Spring Dessert: Classic Carrot Cake

The glaze on these airy donuts achieves its satiny consistency thanks to a combination of clarified butter and evaporated milk.

MAKES ABOUT 1½ DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

2¼-oz. packages active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
1½ cups milk, scalded and cooled
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 eggs
6 tbsp. vegetable shortening, plus more for greasing
5 cups (1 lb. 6½ oz.) all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
Canola oil, for frying
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
⅓ cup evaporated milk
2 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

RELATED: Vegetarian Recipes for Spring »

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine yeast, 1 tbsp. sugar, and 6 tbsp. water heated to 115° in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, plus milk, salt, eggs, and shortening; mix until combined. With the motor running, slowly add flour; beat until dough is smooth. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap; set in a warm place untilRead More »from Make Airy Glazed Donuts at Home

This indulgent recipe from This is a Cookbook: Recipes For Real Life (Weldon Owen, 2012), by brothers Max and Eli Sussman, takes the classic cinnamon bun up a notch by adding the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella between layers of dough for a gooey, decadent finish.

RECIPE: NUTELLA BUNS
MAKES 12 BUNS

INGREDIENTS
1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast
¼ cup, plus 1 tsp. sugar
½ cup milk
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
¾ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup coarsely chopped pecans
1½ cups Nutella
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

RELATED: Recipe Ideas for Breakfast in Bed »

1. Combine yeast, 1 tsp. sugar and ½ cup warm water in a bowl until foamy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring milk to a simmer in a 1-qt saucepan over medium heat; set aside for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining sugar, 4 tbsp. butter, and salt and stir to yeast mixture with vanilla, 2 eggs, and

Read More »from Baking with Nutella: Gooey Chocolate Hazelnut Buns

RECIPE: Tuscan Bean Soup
This hearty Italian soup makes good use of cold weather vegetables such as butternut squash, kale, carrots, and potatoes. If you don't plan ahead and soak the cannellini beans overnight, you can substitute canned white beans.

SERVES 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS
2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic (3 minced, 1 halved)
10 oz. squash, such as butternut, peeled and cut into ½" cubes (about 2 cups)
4 large kale leaves, preferably lacinato or cavalo nero, stemmed and chopped
1 medium waxy-style potato, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ tsp. crushed fennel seeds
8 thick slices country-style bread

RELATED: 24 Healthy Vegetarian Mains »

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Drain beans and transfer to a 3-qt. saucepan along with half the carrots, the celery, the onions, and 5 Read More »from SIMPLE WEEKNIGHT MEALS: Tuscan Bean Soup

It may come as no surprise that New Orleans, the exuberant center of Mardi Gras, is also the birthplace of several classic cocktails. This year, toast to the fun-loving spirit of the city with a glass of classic milk punch (left), a sazerac (center), a sparkling gin fizz (right), a "Stormy Morning," or spicy Cajun bloody mary. As they say in New Orleans, "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

RECIPE: RAMOS GIN FIZZ
This frothy, refreshing tall cocktail was rumored to be flamboyant Louisiana governor Huey Long's favorite drink.
SERVES 1

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. superfine sugar
1½ oz. gin
1 oz. heavy cream
¼ tsp. orange flower water
1 egg white
1 oz. cold seltzer

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine lime juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a cocktail shaker and stir to dissolve. Add gin, heavy cream, orange flower water, and egg white. Cover and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

2. Add 2 cups cracked ice, cover, and shake vigorously for about 45 Read More »from Classic New Orleans Cocktails for Mardi Gras

This Valentine's Day, instead of giving your sweetie one of those cute but chalky candy hearts, make your own delicious candy heart cake! We'll show you how to assemble the cake in this step-by-step demo.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CANDY HEART CAKE

SERVES 16-20

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE:
1¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
3 Tbs. Grand Marnier
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 8" square chocolate cake, cooled and unfrosted
1 8" circular chocolate cake, cooled and unfrosted

FOR THE FONDANT ICING:
1½ tsp. powdered gelatin
4 cups confectioner's sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1½ tsp. glycerin
Nonstick cooking spray
Cornstarch
15-20 drops food coloring in your choice of color (we used red)
Food grade decorative paint in the color of your choosing (we used red)

RELATED: Best Chocolate Desserts »

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook raspberry jam in a small saucepan over low heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, 35-40 minutes.

2. Make the fondant: Sprinkle gelatin into 1/8 cup water in a small saucepan. Set aside forRead More »from Building a Heart-Shaped Cake for Valentine's Day

I first tasted king cake at a Mardi Gras party in my fifth-grade classroom in Mississippi. Striated with cinnamon-sugar and cream cheese, and glazed with a sticky icing, my slice included a surprise: a small plastic baby. King cakes, which commemorate the Epiphany-the wise men's discovery of the baby Jesus-are eaten the world over in various forms, but they're nowhere more beloved than in New Orleans, where the cake is associated with the festivities of Mardi Gras. Introduced by French settlers in the 1600s, New Orleans's traditional cake is sweetened, yeasted bread stuffed with a filling (cinnamon and cream cheese, say, or praline), shaped into an oval ring, topped with white icing, and garnished with purple, green, and gold sanding sugars. A figurine, which some say symbolizes the infant Jesus, is hidden inside; whoever gets the trinket is named king. The title comes with strings attached: it obligates its bearer to buy the cake for the next party. -Ben Mims

RECIPE: King Cake

This

Read More »from The King of Mardi Gras: New Orleans King Cakes

Kick the standard Valentine's box of chocolates up a few notches by skipping the sweets shop in favor of your own kitchen. Homemade chocolates are surprisingly easy to make, and you can tailor the selection to your sweetheart's tastes, whether homey Chocolate and Peanut Butter Nougat Squares, spiced Cardamom-Infused Milk Chocolate Truffles, or retro-classic Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cordials. Wrapped in fancy tissue or simply served on a beautiful dessert plate, it's a romantic treat far more elegant than anything you could buy in the store. If you choose to go all out and make 3 or 4 recipes in full, you'll have enough to mix-and-match several assorted edible valentines for all your friends and loved ones-with many leftover for sampling, of course!

Read More »from A Homemade Box of Chocolates