Veggie Cake!

Hello people, its been a long time.

GOT A PROMOTION!!! WOO!!!

Money money money lol...

OK on a different note, I'm sorry i haven't been around for ages, i have just had so much stuff to do.... I'm currently apartment hunting and that is just the longest process ever... on top of that I've started hitting the gym twice as hard. Been going every morning for the past 6 weeks i think (with weekends off as a break).... I totally recommend it, once you get into it you will love it.

Ok enough about my boring life.... on with the food!


You may be wondering "What is this ridiculously cute looking anime about?". Well quite frankly this has been filling the spaces of time when i'm not active and still awake.... Its called Yumeiro Patissiere and its an interesting anime show which is quite popular in japan at the moment..... Admittedly its probably mostly little girls watching it for the cute characters.... but i watch it for the inventive recipes they come up with (also its pretty funny at times).


The show revolves around Ichigo Amano who wants to be a pastry chef and joins a school where the young elite go to train... she is terrible at making sweets and as the show progresses she is helped by the "sweets princes" who are all experts in their own rights (Hanabusa is an expert in decoration, Kashino is an expert in chocolate stuff, and Andou is an expert at Japanese style desserts), as well as the strange but almost necessary additions of little fairy creatures who encourage Amano to not give up... Its pretty watchable and some of the recipes they come up with are pretty Ingenious (spelling...)

For example.... my next post will hopefully be a remake of one of their cakes either a Rose water infused Peach Pound cake, or a Spinach and cream cheese frosting carrot and apricot chiffon. Also looking at their presentation is inspiring (I know i know its a cartoon lol)

Definitely worth checking out though if you are ever bored! But now on to what i have made recently...

Spiced Carrot Cake with White chocolate cream cheese frosting:



I was set the challenge recently of trying to make something nice for the office out of semi healthy ingredients.... I instantly thought of fruits and vegetables... I was considering doing some kind of apple or pear something but those are boring... Then i realized i have never actually made a carrot cake... one of the most inspired combination of flavors.... (this is why i want to try that spinach cake at some point cause i like the idea of veg in sweet stuff, its interesting.

This cake was for a colleagues birthday and without blowing my own trumpet it was delicious.... so much so that the mother of the colleague who has been baking for years, actually called her daughter to ask me for the recipe. I was very proud of myself considering i just felt my way through the cake and added what i thought would be necessary to get that moist texture that any good carrot cake should have.

So without further adieu and so i can stop bigging myself up (lol) here is the recipe and method!

Ingredients:

300g Soft Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
250ml Sunflower Oil
30g Margarine
300g Plain Flour
1tsp Bi carbonate of soda
1tsp Baking powder
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp vanilla extract
350g Grated Carrot
200g Raisins
(A few Walnuts to decorate if you want)

Gonna need 2 or 3 cake tins for this also... I used 2, you can do it three tier if you like!



Method:

Preheat the over to 170 degrees Centigrade (350 Fahrenheit or Gas mark 3)

Put the sugar, eggs, oil and margarine in a bowl and mix them all together with a wooden spoon. (if you have an electric mixer then use the paddle attachment).

Then slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue mixing.

Grate the carrots and press as much water out of them as possible. Add the carrots and the raisins to the mix and keep mixing until all are incorporated fully.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins (coated in margarine or butter) and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched.

Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire rack to let them cool completely.

Voila... the cake is done.

Now, whilst the cake is cooling you can make the frosting.

Frosting ingredients:

800g White Chocolate (i used Milky bar)
500g Soft cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200g Butter
250g icing sugar

Method:

Melt the chocolate in a small pan and be sure not to burn it.

Once the chocolate is melted pour into a large bowl and slowly add the butter and cheese whilst mixing all the time until fully incorporated. The heat from the chocolate should melt the other two easily.

Add the vanilla extract and icing sugar and keep mixing until full incorporated.

When fully mixed leave aside in a cool area to reduce in temperature before using a pallet knife to place frosting between the cake layers and then completely cover the cake...

That's it you should now be done! I hope it comes out just as nicely as mine did, decorate it how you see fit :D!!



Until next time...

Enjoy!! \(^_^)/