Sarah's Test Kitchen

Carrot cake is not just a delicious fall dessert and perfect for Thanksgiving, it has particular significance in my life. It has been my favorite for years. When Southern Living came out with this recipe in March 2015 I was determined that it would be my birthday cake that year. And, needless to say, I would be the one to make it. 😋 I couldn't wait to make it again this year! What sets this apart from some other carrot cake recipes is the inclusion of Granny Smith apple and coconut. It also calls for 2 tsp of baking soda and no baking powder, making it super light and fluffy - not as dense as most. I for one, love the rich texture and the "crumbliness". It's like a party in your mouth! This year I decided to use wraps around the cake pans to prevent them from doming. I made my own with paper towels and foil.   The grave mistake I made was in squeezing three 9" cake pans in my oven at the same time. The two that were against the sides of the oven baked way faster...

I am excited about this post! I love trying new desserts on my kids on special occasions. Our middle daughter had a birthday last month and I wasn't available to celebrate with her, so naturally, I asked her over and made a cake in her honor.   Anna Kate loves caramel apples so I found this gem.  It was pretty simple to make - the most laborious effort went to the peeling and chopping of the apples.  It took an additional several minutes for mine to set (used the skewer method) and I was hoping it wasn't going to cause the cake to be dry.  Also the directions say at the very end that if you overstir the batter it can make the cake tough.  Even before I folded in the apples and pecans the batter was super thick and hard to stir, so I thought that was an indication that I had overmixed.  But apparently I didn't because the cake turned out wonderfully moist and delish.  The only regret I have is using Gala apples instead of Granny Smith (I have never...

My husband and I used to love going to Ruby Tuesday for their Endless Garden Bar. I'd often get the one-trip bar with chicken tortilla soup. I was so bummed when all of the locations around us closed down (thanks, COVID). Well, I finally found a similar recipe, and it has become a fav. I have discovered the joy of shredded rotisserie chicken. It's super convenient to pick up chicken already prepared by the grocery store deli, shred it, put it in baggies 2 cups at a time and freeze until ready to use. Several small casseroles call for 2 cups so that's why I use that measurement. But this recipe calls for an entire chicken shredded. Having already had the chicken and other ingredients on hand, I decided to wind down a busy day of teaching in the kitchen making this yummy soup. Plus, it's finally soup weather! Yea! 🍵 Take note of the variety of toppings you can use. Anytime I make anything with Mexican flair there's typically avocado and cilantro on the side; however,...