The Best Classic Carrot Cake

The two kinds of cake side-by-side: this recipe is for the one in the foreground.

For my birthday this year I made two kinds of carrot cake- one classic and one with an Indian dessert theme (that I'll post the recipe for later). This one is pretty much what I believe a carrot cake should be- some people are purists who prefer less mix-ins, but I like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of carrot cake with all the spices, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and sultanas... of course, you can skip those if you wish, but I believe that they all contribute to the deliciousness of this cake.

I decorated it with marzipan carrots and walnut pieces, but if it isn't a special occasion you can still make this cake with less frills and have it taste just as good. I suspect I'm going to make it again come spring- you don't need a reason for cake this good!

Classic Carrot Cake

Adapted from Moje Wypieki

2/3 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. each nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Vegetable or nut oil
1 C. Walnut pieces
1/2 C. Pineapple, finely chopped/shredded
1 C. Carrots, grated and packed
1 C. Sultanas
1/2 C. Shredded unsweetened coconut

Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a circle cut out of baking parchment. Grease the parchment and preheat the oven to 180℃.

Sift together flour, baking soda and powder, salt and spices. Separately, beat the oil, eggs and sugar until well-blended and add the dry ingredients until a homogenous mix forms. Mix in the pineapple, coconut and carrots until well-combined.

Stir in the sultanas and walnuts last. Pour into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

300 g. Cream cheese (not low-fat!)
90 g. Butter, softened
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 C. Powder sugar

Beat the butter, vanilla and cream cheese until well-combined. Add the powder sugar spoonwise until the consistency and sweetness is to taste.

Nutella-Cream Cheese Rolls with Walnuts (Tangzhong dough)

Here's a belated Valentine's day post- simple, rich and soft buns shaped like hearts. Not that they need to be- but they're cute! To shape them, cut a rolled-up log of the dough and filling (like a jelly roll) into 10 segments. Cut each segment most of the way through in the middle, then turn it on its side. Imagine moving the hour hand from the minute hand on a clock so it's set to 2 o' clock to get the angle right. Then, press down with your palm.

The tangzhong makes these rolls stay soft inside for a long time, and they're not too sweet despite the nutella and cream cheese filling. The walnuts add a nice toasty touch, but obviously hazelnuts are also good.

Nutella-Cream Cheese Rolls with Walnuts 

For Tangzhong:
15 g. Flour
72 g. Water
Mix well and cook on medium heat until 65℃, or until consistency is pudding-like. Let cool to room temperature before using.

For Dough:
Adapted from Kochtopf
All of tangzhong
90 g. Milk, lukewarm
30 g. Fresh yeast, or 3 Tsp. Active dry yeast
1 Egg
150 g. Bread flour
150 g. All purpose or type 550 flour
60 g. Sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 TBSP Powdered whole fat milk
1 Tsp. Salt
80 g. Butter, softened

For Filling:
125 ml Nutella (half a small jar)
50 g. Cream cheese
1 TBSP Powder sugar
1 TBSP Hazelnut oil
1/2 C. Walnut pieces

Prepare the filling by mixing the nutella, cream cheese, sugar and oil until smooth, then stirring in the walnuts. Set aside for later.

For the buns:

Mix the flours, salt, sugars, and powdered milk with a whisk.

Dissolve the yeast in the milk and add the egg. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones to form a smooth dough, adding more milk or flour if necessary to get it soft and pliable. Add the butter in pieces until well incorporated. Let rise, covered, for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.

Punch down dough and form a large rectangle. Spread the filling and roll up, then cut into 10 pieces. In the middle of each piece, cut a slit about 2/3 of the way in, then pull apart the two sides about 45 degrees while laying it rolled-side-up. Press down to form a heart shape. Let the buns, once shaped, rise for about and hour.

Bake at 180℃ for 18-20 minutes.

New York Cheesecake with Cherry Topping

As a kid, my favourite cake was American-style cheesecake. I especially loved it when there was a fruity topping to contrast the tart, creamy cheese and slightly spiced graham cracker crust. I always thought it must be healthy (I was raised in a very pro-cheese household, and cream cheese was still kind of cheese)- at about ten years of age I was scandalized to find that was not the case. It's still delicious, though.

 I've long been cautious about making my own cheesecake, because of the price of the ingredients, but since organic cream cheese went on sale at my grocery store last week I decided it was time to attempt my dearly beloved dessert at home. I decided to use a sour cherry topping, because it's not only delicious but also covers up the brownness (and potentially, cracks) of the cake's top. I used homemade graham crackers to max out the homemadeness of this cake, as well as because I don't trust storebought graham crackers- had I been a bit lazier, I would've used good quality whole grain biscuits like digestive biscuits with cinnamon and sugar to taste.

Though I didn't use a water bath (I didn't have a container larger than my springform) the cake still didn't crack, to my great surprise and glee. It did get a bit too brown on top, but I just skimmed that layer off with a sharp knife and doused the whole thing in cherries anyways.

In any case, the cheesecake was a success. I made it for a get-together and it was wildly popular- later my family had some, and even those who normally only like the lighter European-style cheesecakes thought it was great. I think it comes down to the simplicity of the recipe, tasting fresh and bright, mainly consisting of cream cheese and high fat sour cream with no flour to thicken it. The lemon and vanilla add an extra bit of flavour without too many frills, so that the main centre of attention is still the tangy cheesy goodness.

It wasn't nearly as hard to make a good cheesecake as I previously thought- I hope that organic cream cheese goes on sale more often. One of the best parts of being an adult is having your favourite cake on demand (and one of the greatest tribulations is learning restraint...)

I didn't have time to take a picture of the cake when it was whole, but take that as a testament to its irresistability. Mmmm.


New York Cheesecake with Cherry Topping
Adapted from Moje Wypieki

For the Bottom:
100 g. Butter, melted
200 g. Graham crackers or digestive biscuits

Grind the graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand.

Press the mixture firmly onto the base of a 9" or 10" springform pan. If using a water bath, double-wrap the bottom of the springform securely in two layers of aluminium foil. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

For the Cheesecake:
750 g. Cream cheese, not reduced fat
180 g. Sour cream, 18% (I used 19%. A mixture of 14% sour cream and creme frâiche in a 3:1 ratio might also work well.)
220 g. Extrafine caster sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
60 ml. Lemon juice
3 Eggs

Preheat the oven to 170℃.

Make sure that all the ingredients are about the same temperature to prevent lumpiness.

Blend all with a paddle attachment on medium-low until well-combined. Take care not to incorporate air into the mixture.

Pour onto the chilled base. If using a water bath, place the springform into a larger heatproof vessel and surround it with water. Bake for 75-90 minutes, until firm. Cover with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly. Let cool gradually inside the oven, with its door wide open.

Refrigerate the cheesecake, without removing the springform or foil, overnight.

For the Topping:
1/2 Jar of sour cherries in light syrup, about 2 cups
2 TBSP Sugar
1 TBSP Cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 Tsp. Almond extract, optional

Mix the cornstarch and sugar. Dissolve in some of the light syrup from the cherries, then mix it back in with the rest. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Cook until thickened- the cloudiness of the starch will go away and the mixture will be translucent.

Let cool while stirring off heat. Add the lemon juice and Almond extract. Pour onto the cheesecake while still warm and refrigerate 30 minutes to set.