Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

A yummy yummy cake with wonderful flavor, color and texture is also very healthy due to nutrients and fibers added by carrots. For me it is a must make in winters when the carrots are red, juicy and sweet. Though in the recipe I have used refined flour (All-purpose flour), this cake can be made using whole wheat flour/ 1:1 ratio of whole wheat flour and refined flour. The time taken for baking depends upon amount of egg white in eggs; juiciness of carrots and type of oven so after 15-20 minutes of baking the cake rises and top layer becomes light brown. Keep checking for baking state by poking the center of the cake with a long clean dry needle. Clean needle indicates the cake is baked.

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes

Baking Time: 40-50 minutes

Servings:

Ingredients For Making Carrot Cake:

• 200 gm. Carrots

• 200 gm. Refined Flour (Maida)

• 150 gm. Sugar for cake

• 200 gm White butter/Nutrelite Butter (Chilled)

• 4 Medium size Eggs

• 100 ml. Golden syrup.

• 1/4Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

• 1/2Teaspoon Eating Soda

• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Directions For Making Carrot Cake:

• Prepare baking dish by coating it with oil then dusting with maida or lining it with butter paper.

• Make golden syrup and keep aside.

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2014/02/how-to-make-golden-syrup.html

Golden Syrup

Making Batter of Cake:

• Mix

• Maida
• Baking powder
• Eating Soda
• Cinnamon powder

• Sieve through a fine sieve three /four times to make sure even distribution of ingredients.

• Grind sugar to fine powder.

• Wash, pat dry and grate carrots.

Grated Carrot

• Separate egg yolk from egg white.

• Beat egg yolk to smoothness.

•  Beat egg white till foamy with stiff peaks.

Egg white Beaten To stiff peaky Foam

• Cut the butter to small pieces and beat till smooth.

• Add sugar and beat till smooth and creamy mass is formed.

Sugar and Nutrelite Butter beaten to creamy smoothness

• Add egg yolk one tea spoon at a time and beat.

• When all egg yolk is added the mixture should be beaten till smooth creamy light mass is formed.

After adding Egg yolks

• Mix grated carrots and prepared refined flour mixture. The carrots should get coated with flour else they will settle at the bottom.

Grated Carrots mixed with flour

• Add golden syrup and mix nicely.

• Add carrot and flour mixture to egg yolk butter and sugar mixture. Mix with light hand. Do not beat just swirl while mixing.

• Add foamy beaten egg white all at one go and mix with light hand by swirling action. This will give smooth frothy uniform batter.

Batter of Carrot Cake

Baking The Cake:

• Pour the batter in baking dish and pat it from sides of dish to level the batter.

• Bake in preheated oven at 160 ^o C for 10 minutes.

Cake rising after 10 minutes of baking

• Increase the temperature to 180^o C and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

• Keep checking for the baking state pf the cake by poking a clean dry wooden/metallic object at the center of cake right up to the bottom.

After 25  minutes of Baking

• Clean needle indicates that the cake is baked. Switch off the oven and remove the cake in baking dish from oven and cover lightly (Not air tight) with a thin cotton cloth or butter paper. The above given timings may vary depending upon the juiciness of the carrots, Size of eggs and type of oven. So keep checking every 5 minutes after first 15 minutes of baking. 

Carrot Cake baked after 35 min. of Baking

• Remove the butter paper with which the cake was covered.Put a plate on the baking dish with cake and invert the dish on the plate. Pat lightly on the base of baking dish with cake. Cake will come out cleanly on the plate.

  

  Cake Inverted on plate and removed from baking dish

•  Cut to pieces when at room temperature. Serve Carrot cake with caramel/vanilla ice cream. I love it plain and simple with a cup of hot tea.

Carrot Cake

Tips:

• Add egg yolk slowly with continuous beating to avoid curdling of creamy mixture.

• Prepare baking dish, caramel/golden syrup before starting the batter.

• The quantity of eggs can be increased / decreased depending on the size.

• Mix carrots and refined flour mix just before adding because the moisture in carrots starts reacting with baking soda and eating soda.

• After adding golden syrup add egg white immediately but do not beat the mixture for mixing just swirl the egg white in it for mixing.

• Preferably do not bake the cake from the top. Use only bottom heating and side heating. Keep a small bowl with 150 ml of water at the bottom shelf of oven to make the top layer moist.

• The time taken for baking depends upon amount of egg white in eggs; juiciness of carrots and type of oven so after 15-20 minutes of baking the cake rises and top layer becomes light brown. Keep checking for baking state by poking the center of the cake with a long clean dry needle. Clean needle indicates the cake is baked.

Suggested Variations:

• Whole wheat flour/1:1 ratio of maida and whole wheat flour can be taken instead of refined flour.

• Chopped and flour coated walnuts/Almonds can be added to the batter before pouring it to baking dish. Cashew do not taste too great in this cake.

How to make Golden syrup

Golden syrup

Golden syrup is used in making cakes and many other deserts. It is also called liquid caramel. Freshly made golden syrup add wonderful flavor and color to the desserts. I prefer making the golden syrup just before I make the batter of the cake. But this golden syrup can be stored in bottle in fridge and use as and when required.

Preparation Time: none

Making Time: 10 Minutes

Servings: 100 ml. Thick Golden Syrup

Ingredients Required For making Golden Syrup:

• 100 gm. Sugar

• 200 ml. Water

Directions For Making Golden Syrup:

• Heat water till it boils cover and switch off the gas. Use this hot water later on.

• Take sugar in a thick bottom container and heat on low flame. The sugar will start melting.

Sugar starts melting

• Keep heating with regular stirring.

• After 3-4 min the molten sugar will start becoming brown. Heat till all molten sugar becomes of dark brown color. Stirring is very important otherwise the liquid sugar at the bottom will become black and will give charred taste to caramel/golden syrup.

After Three minutes

• When all sugar becomes of dark brown color liquified sugar will become thick also. Stop heating immediately.

After 5 minutes Ready to be added to water

• Add the caramelized sugar to boiling water and switch off the heat. Dissolve the solid formed.Some solid will stick to the spoon and the bottom of the container do not worry.
  Heat the mixture on low heat and keep stirring till all brown solid dissolves. Boil for 2-3 minutes or till the liquid is reduced to half (10 ml). Golden syrup is ready.

Golden syrup/Caramelized Sugar

• Cover and allow it to cool and use in desserts and cakes.

• Store this golden syrup in bottle in fridge. It can be stored for months together.

• If thicker golden syrup/Caramel is required boil till required thickness is achieved.

Tips:

• Never heat sugar on high heat this will cause charring of sugar.

• For easier making of golden syrup sugar can be powdered then heated. If Powdered sugar is used then the container for heating should be big otherwise it will spill while stirring.

• Always use thick bottom container.

• Do not put caramelized sugar in cold water. Preheat water.

Suggested variations:

• Powdered jaggery/1:1ratio of jaggery and sugar can be used for making caramel.

• Cinnamon/Green cardamom powder/Nut meg/Vanilla essence can be added to golden syrup before cooling. This will give flavored caramel/Golden syrup.