Tuesday 21 August 2012

Sep 23, 2008, Multiply, Carrot Cake



MY LAST ENTRY WAS FOR CARROT SOUP. I THOUGHT IF WE HAVE CARROT SOUP, WE JUST HAVE TO FOLLOW IT WITH CARROT CAKE.
Carrots have been included in sweet recipes in Britain since mediaeval times. Because carrots provided a cheaper and more easily available alternative to other sweeteners, their use was encouraged during the Second World War and rationing. Carrot cake didn’t really gain in popularity until the last quarter of the twentieth century but now it’s found in just about every coffee shop and tea room.
Apart from the fact that it tastes delicious, there’s an air of wholesomenesss about carrot cake, it has that …’this is good for me’ feeling.

The Basics
Fat
The fat you use will determine the method – creaming or all-in-one. Butter or margarine is one option but more usually oil is used. Olive oil is too heavy; a light vegetable oil - groundnut maybe - is the best choice.
Flour
It’s got to be wholemeal – organic stoneground is the healthy option. Self-raising is best, with baking powder and spices (cinnamon, mixed, nutmeg) sieved in. Most recipes call for some extra bicarbonate of soda to help the raising process.
Sugar
Dark and brown for a lovely rich colour as well as that moist sweetness that is associated with carrot cake. Weightwatchers UK use runny honey as an alternative – yes, there is a diet version of Carrot Cake!
Carrots

Find the easiest way you can to grate them! If you have a food processor, use that, otherwise it’s a time-consuming job. When you put the grated carrot in the bowl you might fear you’re going to end up with a cake full of bits, but don’t worry: they soften as they cook and become unrecognisable.
Eggs
Last but not least, the number of eggs, free-range large are best, you can use from 2 to 4 range, add a pinch of salt to draw out flavour.
Added Extras
The zest and juice of a lemon or orange add their own distinctive zing to the cake, or you might prefer to drop in a teaspoonful of vanilla essence. Think of what flavour topping you want and use the same for the cake.
Desiccated coconut adds a distinctive taste and texture to the cake, as do ground almonds. Or you can add chopped walnuts or pecans to the mix, using the same nuts to decorate the topping.
Topping
Most recipes agree on the topping: a mixture of cream cheese and icing sugar, sometimes with unsalted butter. Where the recipes disagree is on proportions, this just comes down to how sweet or creamy you like your topping.
Include a flavouring of your choice, beat it all together, adding a little milk if it’s too stiff and you’ve got your topping ready to spread on the cooled cake. Decorate with nuts, zest or leave simple.
And Now; The Carrot Cake
Ingredients for the cake
•       12½ oz carrots
•       2 oz pecans
•       4 oz self-raising wholemeal flour
•       4 oz plain wholemeal flour
•       2 teaspoons of cinnamon
•       1 teaspoon ground ginger
•       ½ teaspoon nutmeg
•       1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
•       8 fl oz vegetable oil
•       6 oz soft brown sugar
•       4 eggs
•       2 tablespoons’ golden syrup
Ingredients for the topping
•       7 oz cream cheese
•       2 oz softened unsalted butter
•       2 oz sifted icing sugar
•       1 teaspoon vanilla essence
These quantities make a 9” round cake.
•       Start off by grating 12½ oz carrots and chopping 2 oz pecans. Put to one side.
•       Sieve together 4 oz self-raising flour and 4 oz plain flour (both wholemeal) with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. (Tip the bran bits left in the sieve into the mixture.)
•       Whisk together 8 fl oz vegetable oil, 6 oz soft brown sugar, 4 eggs and 2 tablespoons’ golden syrup. (Heat the spoon first and the syrup will slide off easily.)
•       Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until it’s nice and smooth. Stir in the carrots and pecans.
•       Tip the mixture into a greased lined tin and cook at 160oC for an hour, or until cooked.
•       For the topping, mix 7 oz cream cheese, 2 oz softened unsalted butter, 2 oz sifted icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, until smooth.
•       Allow the cake to cool and then add the topping

THE CARROT
Parts Used Medicinally
The whole herb, collected in July; the seeds and root. The whole herb is the part now more generally in use.

Medicinal Action and Uses.
Used as a Diuretic or sometimes as a Stimulant. An infusion of the whole herb was considered a valuable remedy in the treatment of chronic kidney diseases and affections of the bladder. The infusion of tea, made from one ounce of the herb in a pint of boiling water, is taken in wineglassful doses. Carrot tea, taken night and morning, and brewed in this way from the whole plant, is considered excellent for certain types of arthritis or gout. A strong decoction is very useful in gravel and stone, and is good against flatulence. A fluid extract is also prepared, the dose being from 1/2 to 1 drachm.


The seeds are said to be  very useful in colic, hiccough, dysentery, chronic coughs. The dose of the seeds is one teaspoonful, repeated as necessary. They were at one time considered a valuable remedy for jaundice. They have a slight aromatic smell and a warm, pungent taste. They add an very agreeable aromatic flavour to malt liquor.
 
Old writers tell us that a poultice made of the roots has been found to ease the pain of ulcers, and that the leaves, applied with honey, cleanse sores and ulcers. An infusion of the root was also used as an aperient. A humble veggie with an impressive history.
And this is a wild carrot.


8 Comments
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acousticeagle wrote on Sep 24, '08
Hey! what's up doc? a blog on carrots and their uses, very practical! I also love carrot cake and because I have to live wheat-free I can buy a carrot cake mix in a packet from my local supermarkets. Homemade is best though. I always feel like I'm having the 'healthy carb' alternative when I eat it. I love the traditional cream cheese icing.

starfishred wrote on Sep 23, '08
Wonderful blog loretta-germans love carrots and my kids grew up with mashed carrots and they are so easy
just mash carrots with some potatoes and after melting butter in pan ad eaquel ammount of flour and let sweat but not to brown add your mashed mix and stir till nicely thickend wonderful
thanks for this blog

kathyinozarks wrote on Sep 23, '08
I am with our friend Sea-a very Awesome blog!!-I will link up with on thursdays-thanks and this cake looks sooo good. thanks for sharing.

beth4rls wrote on Sep 23, '08
I love carrot cake thank you for sharing

bennett1 wrote on Sep 23, '08
I love carrot cake and of course I see you have put cream cheese frosting - the best! Good for you and tastes good too.

brendainmad wrote on Sep 23, '08
What a delicious blog!

veryfrank wrote on Sep 23, '08
I do believe that carrot cake is my absolute favorite. I had to think about that for a while, because zucchini cake is wonderful too. I have always put raisins in both cakes, but in recent years switched to 'Craisins,' dried cranberries.

Correct me, if I am wrong, but the wild carrots, which are know as Queen Anne's Lace, are biennial. I have decided that they don't skip a year, as some think, but rather have a 24 month cycle. I am wondering if the wild tubers are like cultivated carrots. I can see an acre of wild carrots this year. That would be a lot of cake.

seanymph3 wrote on Sep 23, '08
Awesome blog......and my secret ingredient for my carrot cake is finely chopped candied ginger added to the batter.

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