I have been trying to find a decent carrot cake recipe but haven't found one that blows my socks off yet. The one in the pictures was one I made recently. Yes it was nice, but not overly delicious. So I wont bother sharing the recipe. I love me a good moist carrot cake with the right hit of spice, but for some reason none I've found have hit the spot. So I guess I'll have to start experimenting and hopefully can eventually create my ideal carrot cake. So watch this space.
On the upside, my adventures in finding the perfect carrot cake meant that I had an abundance of cream cheese frosting. Which came in handy, as I just had my wisdom teeth out.
I can not truly describe how amazing it felt to scour the fridge for something I could attempt to eat without the need for chewing, getting discouraged and feeling sorry for myself but then spotting a whole tub of leftover frosting hiding in the corner of the fridge. I swear I could hear a chorus of angels.
So yeah I pretty much downed that whole tub. No guilt. Thankfully it has now been 8 days and I can finally chew again, it's crazy how much you can miss the mere texture of food, let alone the taste, when you've been living on baby food for a week. So ermm today's post is not exactly innovative, nor is it even a meal. However, if you ever find yourself without the ability to chew then I figure it counts. You need to have this recipe in your arsenal. You never know when a little spare pot of cream cheese can save your life. Okay I exaggerate, but getting your wisdom teeth out can be a really horrible miserable experience, so why not have something to look forward to. For me this was the highlight of my week.
This recipe makes enough to cover a cake, which I suppose could be another practical use. If you must. (It's a decent amount though so you'll still have some leftover.)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
· 450g cream cheese, softened
· 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
· 3 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
First make sure your cream cheese and butter are soft, and not straight out of the fridge, this helps prevents lumps. Then combine everything in a mixer, or by hand, and beat until fluffy and smooth. If you've still got pesky lump, just gently heat in microwave for a really short time to melt the lumps. Then, if you need to, chill the frosting for 15 minutes, until it has set to the consistency you need for spreading or pipping.
OOohhh I could totally eat a pot of cream cheese frosting!!!! Looks beautiful on your cake - well done Linda!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah not many times can you get away with eating a whole pot of the stuff. So why not go for it when you have the excuse. Definitely not something you should do everyday!
ReplyDeleteHi Linno
ReplyDeleteI first found your blog when searching for a recipe for hazelnut triangles. My husband's family is Swiss and it's one of the family's favourite Christmas cookies. I really like your recipe. Here's a recipe for a carrot cake that I made a couple of weeks ago. I've made it before and had forgotten how much a liked it. It's from the New Basics Cookbook.
BERTA'S CARROT CAKE
Source: The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Yield: 12 portions
"Carrot Cakes abound, but there's none better than the one created by Sheila's mother. It has just the right texture and taste - and not too sweet. Try it unfrosted for breakfast. It's a classic for us and it will be for you."
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup corn oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups pureed, cooked carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 X 9-inch layer cake pan with waxed paper, and grease the paper.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla, and beat well. Then fold in the carrots, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Then invert it over a cake rack and unmold, remove the waxed paper, and continue to cool for 1 hour.
Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake with cream cheese frosting, and dust the top with confectioner's sugar.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Frosting for a 13 X 9-inch cake.
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Cream the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl.
Slowly sift in the confectioner's sugar, and continue beating until fully incorporated (there should be no lumps). Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
Click here to view: http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_2/2006/MAY/18916.html
Ooh thanks for sharing this recipe, much appreciated! Definitely will have to try it. Cheers!
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