Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Easter Sunday Dessert from the Troutbeck Kitchen

Eats by Emma

Easter Sunday Dessert from the Troutbeck Kitchen
Photo by Jim Henkens

My name is Emma and I'm the pastry chef at Troutbeck in Amenia, N.Y.  In 2013, I went to culinary school in Cambridge, Mass., and turned my passion into a career.  Since then, I have worked at The Fearrington House Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property in Pittsboro, N.C., BakeHouse and Carmella’s Kitchen in Charleston, S.C., and The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. Now I get to share my recipes with you.

It’s the perfect time of year for that crowd-pleasing carrot cake!  Whether you want to impress your in-laws for Easter or just want a tasty dessert (or indulgent breakfast!) to enjoy with a cup of coffee, this carrot cake will not disappoint.  Personally, I don’t love overly sweet frosting, but this cream cheese recipe is the exception.  The carrot cake is great but, for me, it’s a vehicle for the frosting.  A little sweet with a little tang, and a pop of orange, this cream cheese frosting will have you licking your spatula and bowl.  Have fun, get messy, and enjoy!

 

Carrot Cake

Makes one, two-layer carrot cake (8 or 9-inch).

2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 large eggs

1 ¼ cups (240 grams) sugar

1 ¾ cups (385 grams) oil

1 cup (120 grams) walnuts (chopped)

3 cups (330 grams) carrots (pealed and shredded)

Zest of one orange (optional, see notes)

1 teaspoon cardamom (optional, see notes)

 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

2. Lightly grease two 8 or 9 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment and set aside.

3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (cardamom if using) together in a bowl and set aside.

4. Peel and shred your carrots and set aside (should be about 3 large carrots).

5. Chop your nuts into small/medium pieces and add to your shredded carrots.

6. In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs and sugar.  Slowly add oil and whisk until combined.

7. Using a spatula, fold carrots and nuts into egg mixture (add orange zest if using).

8. Fold dry ingredients into mixture in three batches. Mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.

9. Divide your batter evenly into your greased and parchment lined cake pans.

10. Bake at 350F for about 20 to 35 minutes.  Oven times may vary.  Cook until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.

11. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.  When cake pans are cool enough to touch, remove cakes from pans and let cool at room temperature completely.

 

Notes:  If you want to jazz up the flavors, add zest of an orange!  You can also cut the cinnamon in half and add a teaspoon of cardamom to spice things up.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups (450 grams) cream cheese

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter

1 ¾ cups (350 grams) powdered sugar

Zest of half and orange

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Method

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix your cream cheese with a paddle attachment until smooth (Pull your cream cheese and butter out a few hours before and let come to room temperature).

2. While cream cheese is mixing, sift your powdered sugar and set it aside in a bowl.

3. When cream cheese is smooth, add room temperature butter and mix until smooth.

4. Add sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest.  Mix until incorporated.

5. At speed one, add sifted powdered sugar small amounts at a time.  Mix until smooth (For a lighter and fluffier texture, switch to a whisk attachment and whip frosting on medium/high until fluffy.).

6. Use right away or store in the fridge until you a ready to use. Can be frozen for later use.   

 

Notes: Pull your butter and cream cheese out the night before (or a few hours before).  It will be smoother and easier to work with.

 

Assemble

1. When cakes are cool, trim off the domed top of each cake to make them level.

2. Using your spatula, spread about a cup and a half (or as much as you want), on top of the fist layer of carrot cake.  Make sure to spread the frosting to the outer edges of the cake.

3. Flip the second layer of cake over and place on top of the frosted first layer.

4. Gently build more cream cheese frosting around the outside and top of the layers to cover the cake completely.  In order to get a nice wavy texture, rotate your wrist in quick swooshing movements. Continue around the entire cake.

 

Enjoy!

Latest News

Early morning Kent crash sends car into ditch, disrupts traffic on Rt. 341

A blue SUV remains in a ditch after an early-morning crash along Segar Mountain Road in Kent May 27.

Ruth Epstein

KENT – A driver escaped with minor injuries after an SUV crashed into a utility pole and water line before rolling into a ditch along Segar Mountain Road early Wednesday morning, May 27, disrupting traffic for much of the day and affecting water service to a nearby residence.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. near 36 Segar Mountain Road, just under half a mile east of the intersection with South Kent Road. State police said the blue SUV struck the pole, went over a guardrail and came to stop in a roadside ditch.

Keep ReadingShow less

Pauline King Garfield

Pauline King Garfield

EAST CANAAN — Pauline K. (King) Garfield, 94 of 77 South Canaan Rd. formerly of East Canaan, died Sunday May 24, 2026, at Geer Village.She was the wife of the late Duane Garfield who passed August 14, 2017. Pauline was born April 3, 1932 in North Canaan, CT in the former Geer Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Rose (Van Vlack) King.

Pauline spent her career at Becton Dickinson in Canaan, after being a stay-at-home mother for many years.She was employed at Becton Dickinson for 23 years. She enjoyed bus trips with her late husband Duane to the Casinos, spending time with her family watching the grandchildren grow up. Recently she made a comment to care givers that was “wait until I see that husband of mine for leaving me here, I am going to read him the riot act.” Over the years she enjoyed many crafts, but her favorite was crocheting gifts for everyone.

Keep ReadingShow less
A blessing for pets — and a lifeline for their health
Lazarus, a Eurasian eagle owl, poses with Dr. Laura, his longtime handler. The rescue raptor — known as the event’s “wow factor” for his striking presence and six-foot wingspan — will appear as the Raptor Ambassador at Rhinebeck’s Blessing of the Animals.
provided

For many pet owners, animals are family. On Saturday, May 30, that bond will be celebrated in a uniquely practical and heartfelt way when the Blessing of the Animals returns to Third Lutheran Evangelical Church in Rhinebeck alongside a free rabies vaccination clinic hosted by Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

The event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., is free for Dutchess County residents and open to dogs, cats and domestic ferrets three months and older. While the clinic itself provides an important public health service, organizers say the day has become about much more than vaccinations.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh takes his lens to China

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh on a shoot last year in New York City.

Matt Kashtan
When I was around 12, a family friend showed me how to use my family’s computer...from that point on, it was pretty much all movies. — Yona Sadeh

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh of Falls Village left May 8 for China, where he will shoot a short documentary.

“I got into a documentary film intensive program where we have two weeks to shoot, edit and screen a 10-minute documentary about a topic of our choosing,” he said.“I’ll be in Changsha, Hunan, making a film about a fifth-generation shadow puppet master.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Silvano Monasterios wows packed Cornwall Town Hall audience

Silvano Monasterios thrilled a sold out audience in Cornwall.

Natalia Zukerman

Grammy-nominated pianist, composer and producer Silvano Monasterios performed works from his upcoming “Solo in Paris,” his seventh album, on Sunday, May 23 at Cornwall Town Hall to a packed audience. Presented by Music Mountain in partnership with the Cornwall Town Hall and Cornwall Library, the concert showcased Monasterios’ signature fusion of sophisticated jazz harmonies and vibrant Latin rhythms. Throughout the performance, he moved seamlessly between intricate compositions and spontaneous improvisation. The concert built excitement for Music Mountain’s upcoming summer jazz series, which will bring an array of acclaimed performers to the historic venue. For more information, visit musicmountain.org

Author Courtney Maum to discuss new novel at Norfolk Library

Norfolk Library celebrates the release of Courtney Maum’s latest novel, “Alan Opts Out,” with a book launch party Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m. The author will speak about her book in conversation with WAMC radio producer Sarah LaDuke.

A graduate of Brown University with a degree in comparative literature, Maum is an acclaimed author of five books, including the romantic comedy “Touch,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year; “Costalegre;” and “I’m Having So Much Fun Without You.” Her memoir, “The Year of the Horses,” was chosen by the TODAY show as top pick for Mental Health Awareness Month. Vanity Fair listed her author’s guidebook “Before and After the Book Deal,” as a best resource for writers, and she has an eponymous Substack newsletter.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.