Carrot Cake

Easy Carrot Cake.

Maybe I should change that title to the easier carrot cake - ever!

Honestly I do not like carrot cake.
But it appeals to some. My mum has been telling me to bake one like for quite a while,
but since I'm not a fan I took my time searching the internet and recipes books for a good one.
Actually I was really looking for an easy one that doesn't require much ingredients or steps.
Me being lazy ha ha ha!

I kept 'looking' until one day, mum decided that she really wanted to eat one. So off we went to a famous cake shop, I won't mention it here as I don't want to hurt people's feelings...
Bought a piece, brought it back and well needless to say mum was not pleased! Wasted a good RM 10.00 too!

So I Googled for carrot cake recipe and got several. There were even ones with pineapple!?! Wasn't this suppose to be carrot cake? So then I tried Googling easy carrot cake recipe and magically this recipe appeared!
I have baked this twice and both times it was a big hit! Mum is happy, so I'm 'happily' grating the carrots!

One thing though, at the end of the recipe there is a link to a video on youtube.
You will notice that some of the measurements for the ingredients vary. So I opt for the youtube version.
It is up to you, which one to chose, but I posted the one on youtube.

I chose a rectangular baking tin but you could easily use an 8 in round tin too!

Carrot Cake
source: all recipes uk
watch it on youtube

Ingredients
250g all purpose flour
4 eggs
300ml oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I skipped this)
400 g sugar (I used brown sugar)
120g chopped walnuts (I only used 100g)
350g grated carrots

Method
In a bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy and thick.
Add in flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and cinnamon (If using).
Beat again.
Add in the grated carrots and walnuts. Mix to combine.
Pour into greased tin and bake at 180 C for 40-50 min.
Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes before taking out.

Cream Cheese Topping.
125g butter
200g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
450g icing sugar
120g walnuts ( I skipped this)

Method
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
Add in the icing sugar and beat again.
Add in the vanilla and the walnuts.
Ice the cake when it is cooled.

** I did this icing and got a lot. Too much for the cake.
In fact I could ice two cakes with one quantity of topping.
I suggest you half the recipe for a cake.

Caramel Chocolate Cake

 Caramel Chocolate Cake

Hmm... the name of the cake alone is already making me drool.

In fact I came across several recipes of this said cake a few times but after reading the ingredients and method I just skipped to the next recipe as I thought it was a tad tedious and hassle.
This is the sure proof that you'll never know until you try.

A few weeks ago, my brother's friend gave us several pieces of this cake.
At first I was rather skeptical, the cake looks great but I wonder does it taste great too?
After all it is a steamed cake and I don't really like steamed cakes.
But after one mouthful, I was totally convinced that I have been an idiot not to try out this recipe sooner!
Make sure your steamer is filled with water at all times and ready!

Caramel Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

2 Tbsp sugar
Sprinkle onto baking tin (8 in round tin) and slowly melt over fire until it turn brownish.
Be careful not to burn the sugar!
Put aside to cool.

For Caramel
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3 yolks
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl combine everything, and whisk to combine.
Don't over beat, as air bubbles will make your caramel filled with holes.
Pour onto cool melted sugar and steam for 15 mins.
Once cook, take out and leave to cool for a while.

For the Chocolate Cake
A
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup oil (any cooking oil will do, I used sunflower oil)
1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and slowly cook until it turns into a smooth paste
and warm through. Stir at all times, to avoid burning.Switch off fire and cool.

Chocolate Cake
B
4 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp baking powder

Sieve flour and both baking powder and soda . Beat the eggs.
Using a whisk, alternate the flour and eggs into the chocolate mixture.
Then slowly, using a ladle, spoon the mixture on top of the caramel layer.
Do it gently to avoid breaking the caramel.

Then steam again for 45 min to 1 hour.
Check that there is water in the steamer at all times and occasionally wipe the insides of the cover to avoid too much water dripping onto the surface of the cake.

Leave the cake to cool completely, about 2 to 3 hours before attempting to remove it from the tin.
Using a butter knife gently loosen the sides and use a plate to flip the cake as some melted sugar will drip to the sides of the cake.
Cool in the fridge or eat it.

Happy Baking.

Crispy Japanese Cream Puff

I came across this recipe while looking for another recipe. In fact it didn't have anything to do with cream puffs at all!
I often wondered what those cracky bits on top were whenever I spot theses at the shops. Lo Behold, I now know! LOL

Basically, cream puffs are choux pastry.

1. Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, is a light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, croquembouches, éclairs, French crullers, beignets, St. Honoré cake, and gougères. It contains only butter, water, flour, and eggs. Wikipedia

Choux pastry is not easy to do. I had several moments where I just wanted to throw everything in the bin or they, i.e the puffs simply refuse to puff up! Believe me, I had my fair share of ruined profiteroles which we commonly call cream puffs.

I have yet to try making eclairs, although it just a different technique in pipping the shape of the pastry
but I do want but am afraid to try out croquembouches!

Look how beautiful they are, a real treat for a very special occasion like a wedding, birthdays or even Christmas!
They are just stacked puffs, 'glued' around a cone, to retain its shape and filled with whatever your heart or tummy desire, cream, custard or chocolate. Then drizzled if wished with melted chocolate, or draped with pulled sugar or just left on its own.
But it requires a lot of patience and hard work, something I am lacking in... hihihi!
Pictures courtesy of Google, unfortunately not mine T T



Right back to reality, 'knock, knock' on my head.
The recipe for this cream puff version, a Japanese one is relatively easy to follow.
I must admit it is the first one I have come across that has baking powder as one of its ingredients!
But I tried it out, in fact several times and it worked! Hey, go figure janji it comes out fine and delicious!
I think the tricky part would only be where you cook the dough on the stove.

Make sure, the fire is medium low and that the dough must pull away from the sides of the pot and forms a ball. If this doesn't happen, *sigh* don't waste your time, energy and electricity to go to the next step.
In choux pastry the dough forming into a ball is a very important step.
Using cold eggs also helps cool the dough.
Another tip, a hot oven is also vital as it helps the puffs, to puff up!

But with a lot of practice and patient, it is possible.
Please don't let my words deter you from trying out this wonderful pastry.
Follow each step carefully and take care during the cooking process, God's will you will be fine.

If you are up to it, here is the recipe.

Crispy cream puff
source: Julia Homemade

Ingredients
100g of butter
1 tsp of sugar
110g water
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

120g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

Topping
50g butter
50g sugar
1 Tbsp water (I added another table spoon of water for smoother flow)
50g flour

Beat all into a smooth paste.
Put it into a pipping bag and pipe spiral circles, onto the puffs.
* make sure to cover the puff evenly as it will expand as it cooks.

Method
Preheat oven to 180-200 C.
In a pot, combine water, sugar and butter. Boil gently until the butter melts.
Add in the flour all at once and stir until the flour combines with the mixture.
Keep stirring until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms into a ball.
Switch off the fire.
Put aside to cool.
When cool, add cold eggs one at a time. Use a wooden spoon to beat until combine before adding another egg. Lastly add in the baking powder. Beat again to combine.

Now either using a piping bag or a spoon, pipe or place the balls of pastry onto a greased baking tray.
Leave some space in between each puff as it will balloon up twice its size.
Pipe the topping on each puff.
Bake at 180-200c according to your oven, until puffy and golden brown.

Take it out of the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Be gentle, as a hot puff can suddenly deflate if crushed.

The Filling
Puan Julia used chocolate cream as the filling, but I prefer a custard filling.

3/4 cup of milk
2 Tbsp custard powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water

Mix the custard powder with the water, stirring out the lumps before adding it to the milk and sugar mixture.
In a pot, gently boil everything, stirring occasionally to avoid lumps.
Once the custard thickens, and warm through switch off fire.

Cut the puff using a scissors, half way through and pipe in or spoon in the warm custard.
Ready to eat!

Happy baking.