Carrot cake

My mom makes the best carrot cake evah. I don't think I have enjoyed any other carrot cake as much as I've enjoyed hers. The ones that you get in Ottolenghi is a close second, although sometimes I hate biting into all those walnuts and coconut slivers. And the ones you get in bakeries and such, are somehow not moist enough and I hate the marzipan toppings they come with. So whenever I crave a good ol' carrot cake I resign to using mummy's recipe which never fails.

Ro hates a carrot cake where you bite into small pieces of carrots and says he cant eat a cake made of vegetables. So that's one of the reasons why I go back to making mummy's cake where she kinda makes a puree with the carrots and uses that in the cake. This makes it incredibly moist and you don't see or bite into carrot pieces, but still end up with a nice carrot flavour. But me being me, soon gets bored with the same ol' thing and I firmly believe in the saying 'variety is the spice of life.' So recently when I craved some carrot cake, I started going frantic searching for recipes online.

 

Needless to say, the search ended up in a plethora of recipes leaving me thoroughly confused. I wanted a simple recipe which used basic ingredients and was easy to put together. This recipe is just that and more because it tastes fabulous. I would have personally preferred it to be a bit more sweeter, but I still enjoyed the cake nonetheless. Ro for that matter couldn't even make out it was carrot cake until I told him it was and of course he made a fuss about it. But I was glad to see him going for a second piece after all that drama. The cake keeps well for a couple of days at room temperature in an air tight container, that is if you can manage to stay away from it.

I love the carrot cake-cream cheese combo. Well I like it more for the cream cheese, I must say. Its one frosting I absolutely love, and know to make and so it somehow makes its way through to almost all the elaborate cakes I bake. This time I didn't want to over do it with frosting since it was just for our use, and its more forgiving on the hips. So if you want to go all out, double the recipe, make it into a layer cake, dab loads of cream cheese (recipe here) and make a deal out of it. You will thank me for it, trust me :)

On a completely different note, I would love to thank my friend W for putting together the header for me. I bug him for all my doubts regarding logos and html codes and such and he's really good at it. The deal was I'd bake him some goodies in return for the header. A cake coming your way W :)

 

Recipe halved from here

Plain flour- 1 cup

Baking soda- 1 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon- 1 tsp, powdered

Nutmeg- 1/4 tsp, grated or ground

Ginger- 1/2 tsp, powdered or grated

Granulated sugar- 1 cup

Vegetable oil- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Eggs- 2 

Carrots- 1 1/2 cups, peeled and finely grated

 

Sieve/ mix together the first 6 ingredients into a bowl. Keep aside.

In another bowl beat together, with a wire whisk or wooden spoon, the sugar and vegetable oil till well blended.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture and mix well so that no traces of flour is seen. 

Finally, fold in the grated carrots.

Line a 12 hole cupcake pan (or cake pan) and pour the batter in, till about 3/4th full.

Bake in an oven preheated at 175C for about 15 to 18 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.

Take them out of the oven and leave aside to cool for five minutes after which you can transfer them on to a wire rack till completely cool.

While they are still slightly warm, roll them in caster sugar or dust some powdered sugar on top for added benefit.

 

Notes: I would probably add 1/4 cup more of sugar because I love a sweet cake. In this case I'll probably avoid rolling/dusting sugar once the cake is done.

I used the fine grater on my grater box which yielded really fine carrot slices and once the cakes were done, you couldn't find traces of carrots (which was a good thing, if you ask me). The process is a bit more tiresome, but if you don't mind pieces of carrots in your cake, then go ahead and grate it bigger or whichever size you prefer.

I used mini bundt pans and got 6 of them. I had to bake it for about 20 minutes though

If you like walnuts and raisins, add about 1/2 a cup of coarsely chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins along with the carrots and fold it all together.

If you are frosting the cake, do so only after the cakes have completely cooled down.

Also, you wont be able to store them at room temperature if using cream cheese frosting. Store it in the refrigerator and use it within 2 days, after which the cream cheese goes bad.

Curried carrot and lentil soup

Its absolute soup weather here, and since this year winter came in a lil late (thank god for that) we haven't really had much of a soup thing going on. The other day Ro got back from home craving for a bowl of hot tom yum soup and even insisted we head out to a Thai restaurant to have some. I shrugged it off saying I slogged in the kitchen for one whole hour (yes too much time) to come up with dinner and also left overs in the fridge make me uneasy. I love an empty fridge as opposed to others who love an over filled fridge :)

Although I love a good bowl of soup on and off, I am not really an expert at making them. In fact I honestly suck at it. So its all soup sachets and canned soup jazzed up with veggies and all sorts of stuff. If it wasn't for some carrots I needed to get rid of from the fridge, I wouldn't have made this soup either. Carrots are not really a favourite of mine, and other than eating them raw, I really cant handle them. This soup however was a welcome change. The sweetness actually was a good thing, since it matched perfectly well with the lentils and Indian flavours.

On a completely different note (although those of you on FB will already know), we are off to India, tomorrow, for 3 weeks (rather unexpectedly) and I am super thrilled that I get to spend Christmas and New Years with family and friends. This time, unlike last year, I shall just be resting and relaxing and watching loads of mallu movies and harassing my brother and sis-in-law. Although I have promised mom a lot of baking and this and that, I am pretty sure I WILL NOT be doing any of those. Good thing my mom doesn't read the blog :)

I wanted to fix up a couple of guest posts by a few of my favourite bloggers in my absence, but then a one week notice to all of them is rather unfair and so I have just decided to go ahead and schedule a couple of posts while I'm away. So if I don't visit y'all for a month, please do pardon me, its only because I'm either sitting in front of the TV, or prop shopping (plan to do loads of it) or sleeping, or eating, in Kerala. But do drop in, as I have a couple of interesting recipes making its appearances here.

Onion- 1 large, roughly chopped

Garlic- 4 pods, peeled and roughly chopped

Carrots- 200 gms, peeled and chopped into cubes or rounds

Red lentils- 1/4 cup

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- to taste

Pepper powder- to taste

Soup cube- 1 small (vegetable or chicken)

Water 500 ml

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1/2 tbsp

Milk- 1/4 cup

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and throw in the onions and garlic. Sauté for about five minutes on medium heat till wilted.

Throw in the cumin, coriander and chilli powders and cook till the raw smell of the masala's disappear, about a minute or so.

Add the lentils and carrot and stir around, making sure all the masala catches on to them.

Add the soup cube, water and bring to a boil.

Place the lid on the cooker along with the weight and cook for about 15 minutes or 3 to 4 whistles.

Once the pressure dies, open the lid, add the milk, season with enough salt and pepper and bring to a gentle boil.

Take it off the fire and wait for the soup to cool a bit before using an immersion blender to make a smooth mix, or if you prefer to leave it chunky, go ahead and serve it with some herbed garlic bread (I adapted Shabs recipe, just that I used chopped parsley instead of basil)

Notes: Freeze the soup in an air tight container and use it later on a rainy day

Replace the masala powders with about 2 tsps of curry powder

The soup cube makes all the difference, so don't omit that

Sending these over to the Christmas Carrot Competition over at Love the Garden.

Carrot Cake anyone?

So i turned a year older and whole of Monday i was sitting and brooding about it. Not only did i brood, I also called up Ro at noon and bawled my eyes out. Oh yes, I did! Now why would you sulk on your birthday? I'll tell you. I was getting a year older and had absolutely no clue as to what i wanted to do in life, 2, this woman I've been working for over a year, and who hadn't paid me as yet, decided to not respond to mails and calls for over 3 months, but exactly on my birthday she decides to reply accusing me of not understanding the situation..what situation? I don't know..she hasn't mentioned that still. So then we start this thread on gmail and that left me angry, helpless and irritated at not being able to do anything from here. I don't get paid and have to bear the brunt too? Ridiculous! And then, it happened to be that wretched time of the month and I was in pain. Altogether it just turned out to be a horrible day. Come evening and i decided to take a hot water bath, slumbered for about an hour and was all fresh and ready to partay...yup Ro and myself decided to try out the new Mexican restaurant Wahaca and then had after dinner cocktails at Smollenskys. I'll review it later, but for now here's a carrot cake- mom's special- which i was craving for and wanted to bake on my birthday, but as you can imagine, circumstances didn't agree with me. So i made it the next day.

Ro hates carrot cake (Its more like a mental block i guess...that carrots in a cake wont taste good). So I thought I'll trick him into eating saying it was an apple and cinnamon cake. He was too smart and noticed the grated carrots from afar and refused to touch it. No issues, i can eat the whole thing on my own...in a matter of days. This cake is super super moist and, i must add, is the only carrot cake i have ever liked. I hate the ones we get here. I have halved the measurements because i knew i would be the only one gorging on it.

Grated carrot- 1 1/2 cups

All purpose flour- 1 cup

Powdered sugar- 1 cup + enough for dusting

Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Egg- 1

Oil- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (Its a half of 1 1/4 cups)

Spice powder- 1/2 tsp (recipe follows)

Salt- a pinch

Spice powder: Grind to a fine powder, 1 cardamom pod, 1 clove and a pinch of cinnamon using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.

Preheat oven to 175C and butter an 8 inch cake tin.

Sieve the flour, spice pwd, baking pwd, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.

Beat the eggs, add powdered sugar and cream till light and fluffy.

Add the carrot and oil and beat on high for a few minutes.

Finally, add the flour mix and beat on low, just till they are all mixed well. Don't over do this.

Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Take it out of the oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Insert onto a serving tray and dust some powdered sugar on it while its still hot. Serve with a dollop of cream or have it just as it is.

Notes: I was way too lazy and so i picked up grated carrots from the supermarket and used that directly. My mom actually grinds it to a purée form which i think gives a bright orange colour and mine lacked that. Also, if you don't like small carrot pieces, purée is a better option.

I made only a wee bit of spice powder, just enough for the cake. You can adjust ingredients according to you taste and make them in plenty and store in an air tight container

I baked the cake on 175C for about 30 minutes and then reduced it to 160 and baked for another 15 minutes. It all depends on the oven, so just keep an eye out to prevent it from burning.


UPDATE:

A lot of you guys out there tried out my moms version of the carrot cake and wrote back to me with some queries. Since it had been ages since I'd tried my moms version, I couldn't remember the logistics of it. So I made it again recently and  thought I'd update it with my current findings and pics of course. The cake is dense/ heavy because you use puréed carrots. If its the light version you are looking for, then replace the pureed carrots with finely grated carrots and you'd get the cake that you see in the pics above. The cake is rich on its own and its more of a dessert cake than a tea time speciality. I feel it would pair well with a scoop of ice cream or cream cheese (not frosted though) on the side.

Pureed carrot- 1 1/2 cups
Milk/ water- 2 tsp (optional)

All purpose flour- 1 cup

Powdered sugar- 1 cup + enough for dusting

Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Egg- 1

Oil- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (Its a half of 1 1/4 cups)

Spice powder- 1/2 tsp (Grind to a fine powder, 1 cardamom pod, 1 clove and two pinches of cinnamon  powder using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.)

Salt- a pinch

(notice the colour difference)

Puree the carrot with 2 tsp of milk or water. Use milk only if you feel the carrots are not releasing enough water. If its watery avoid it. I usually dont add milk.

Preheat oven to 175C and butter an 8 inch cake tin.

Sieve the flour, spice pwd, baking pwd, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.

Beat the eggs, add powdered sugar and cream till light and fluffy.

Add the carrot and oil and beat on high for a few minutes.

Finally, add the flour mix and beat on low, just till they are all mixed well. Don't over do this.

Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Take it out of the oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Insert onto a serving tray and dust some powdered sugar on it while its still hot. Serve with a dollop of cream or have it just as it is.

I would also like to thank Cicily of Spices from the Queen of Arabian Sea for passing on a lovely award. Thanks a lot once again. I am supposed to tag 7 people and since I am new to the whole blogging scene, I shall avoid that. Anyone can pick it up...I follow a whole buncha awesome blogs and they are all exceptionally good:)

Now the 7 things about me...hmm..just 7? why just 7?

I am so bloody lazy and would stay in bed and watch movies all day, given a choice. Being sent to a foreign country was gods way of punishing me for my laziness...Now i have to get off my ass and do everything on my own (not really..i have an incredible husband who loves doing chores around the house, including cooking)

I am a movie-buff...and can watch a minimum of three at a stretch. I have the unlimited card at the cinemas here and so watch atleast 3 movies a week if i haven't seen the ones already released.

I love the gloomy, rainy weather UK is known for..I know everyone complains about it, but i think its awesome.

I am crazy about clothes and shoes and bags and shopping in general and don't want to reveal how many pairs of shoes i have. Being in London hasn't helped much. I can spend a whole day at Selfridge's or Sloane street just gawking at the brands and wish for the millionth time id married a rich man (don care even if he's old) or was earning enough to afford these.

I'm scared of ghosts..really (i think they exist)..but love watching horror movies..I have a hard time sleeping at night and so my husband has banned them at home. I still manage to watch them at the cinemas.

I am so liberal when it comes to traditions and ways of thinking, the older generation detest me and sometimes I'm too fast for even the younger generation. Although they wonder why i got married when I'm all for the 'living together' aspect. Ro tricked me;)

I have ornithophobia (sounds fancy right?). I am so so scared of anything with feathers. And i am in the perfect place...London, where pigeons nest in every possible corner..and the parks..i have to play hop, skip, dodge all the freaking time. I don't mind eating them though (evil laugh!)

Phew! Long post..i need to lie down.

Ah, so thats how a thoran is made!

As you might have already guessed from the title, yesterday i learned how exactly to make an authentic mallu speciality- the thoran (vegetables of your choice with coconut). Till now i was making a mezhukupuratti (something entirely different), throwing in some coconut and calling it a thoran and wondered why it never turned out the sadya (feast) way. Ro used to shout at me asking why i am so stingy when it comes to putting coconut in my thoran and i used to retaliate saying, too much was not healthy. This time i went home, i saw my mom, mom-in-law using coconut oil lavishly and when questioned they said according to recent developments coconut oil was the healthiest..it apparently maintains cholesterol levels. Now that's news. So anyways, yesterday i decided to go veg. (basically i was lazy to go out and shop) and made a carrot and beans thoran and boy did it taste good. And its easy too. I followed Maria's recipe to the dot and it was perfect. Thanks Maria, i now know how different a thoran is from the mezhukupuratti. Ro thought it tasted different. 'Dude that's cos its the real thing.' He is so used to eating the shit i make, that if you give him the real thing he would say its horrible. Now i would say that's good training :)

Can we be more Brit-Dish?

We had the tastiest Brit-dish of all, Bangers and Mash, two days ago and yes, i made it at home. I'm so proud for being able to recreate the exact same thing we've been having at pubs and making a big deal of, when its actually one of the simplest things to make. The first week we were in UK, about 2 years ago, we were staying in a hotel and had to depend on the various restaurants for our daily meals. I wasn't complaining at all. There were so many options and it was indeed the best time to experiment. So on a Sunday afternoon we decided to have brunch at this pub that had advertised their Sunday roast...in fact almost all the pubs had advertised Sunday roasts and we were quite sure we wanted to try the roast that was apparently so popular. So i opted for the chicken roast with mash and veggies and Ro ordered the beef roast with chips. Huge quantities, but unbelievably tasteless and bland to the core. So we put in ketchup and mayo and all the sauces that were available and still it wasn't worth eating. We wasted the entire things and i have vowed never to try out the roasts at a pub ever again. The apple pie with custard was however yummy.

Pub food is very basic and its more or less the same everywhere. Unless its a 'Thai Food' Pub or a 'Mexican Food' pub, they usually have the same fare. I realised I'm actually not a big fan of the usual British fare after my bad experiences with the Sunday roasts, fish and chips and pies ( yes all of them). I usually stuck to burgers and I'm so sick of it now. Bangers and Mash are available only at selected places and once i tried it, i knew it was the best of them all. So I now make it a point to check the menu before i go in. Yes, fussy would be an under statement :)

Bangers (sausages): Beef/ chicken/ pork/ venison- 6 (I used beef)

Extra virgin olive oil- 1 tsp (or just enough to coat a non-stick pan to fry the sausages)

Onion- 1/2, sliced

Button mushrooms- 100gms, sliced

Leek (optional)- 1 (only the white part) (replace with spring onions or shallots)

Salt- as required

Pepper- 1 tsp

Oil- left over from frying the sausage as enough oil oozes out

Colmans sausage casserole sauce mix- 1 packet diluted in half a pint water (replace with chicken/beef stock)

Fry the bangers or even better grill them. Keep aside

In a saucepan heat some oil and sautee onions, mushrooms and leek till soft and fragrant. Add enough salt and pepper and continue. Add the Colmans mix and bring to boil. Add the bangers and simmer.

For the mashed potato. I followed the recipe from BBC. Instead of cream i added milk and cheddar cheese and it tasted just fine.

You can use any vegetable of your choice, I used green peas and carrots blanched and then tossed with a bit of butter and pepper.

Place a spoon full mashed potato in the centre of a plate, arrange the bangers on top and pour the gravy over. Enjoy with a mug of beer and its almost like you are in a British Pub.