![]() It's difficult to see the cake here as anything more than a structural necessity – there's more icing than sponge. The whole thing is then slathered with cream cheese frosting, and finally pebbledashed with toasted coconut. The recipe, which pops up again and again in online discussions of the perfect carrot cake, involves three layers of cake sandwiched with a decadent pecan caramel made from double cream, butter and sugar, and thickened with flour. If I thought the cheese and buttercream mixture OTT, the carrot cake at Philadelphia's much-mourned Commissary restaurant makes it look like positively understated. Although I love buttercream as much as the next glutton, the cheese element is a step too far, adding a richness which tips the whole thing over into sickly territory, especially when, as with Claire Clark's recipe, there's three layers of the stuff to contend with. Photograph: Felicity CloakeĬarrot cake icing is one part of this delectable cake that I've never really warmed to – American tradition dictates a cream cheese "frosting", beaten with butter and sugar. Of fruit and spiceĬlaire Clark recipe carrot cake. In her recipe, taken from the book Cakes originally published in 1980, Holt also flouts convention with melted butter, rather than the customary oil – butter, of course, was the enemy back then, but I love the rich flavour it gives her gorgeously fluffy cake. To this end, I'm also going to use Geraldine Holt's light muscovado sugar, rather than the white sugar called for by most other recipes: Delia's dark muscovado is too aggressively treacly a flavour for my taste, but the slightly toffee-ish taste of the unrefined sugar is pleasingly raw. Like a good muesli, I think carrot cake should require a bit of effort in the dental department – a felicitous combination of afternoon tea and workout, so mine will be of the chewier variety. I quite like the effect – although their cakes aren't as light as those made with white flour, it gives them a coarse, defiantly wholesome texture which works well with the strands of carrot. Photograph: Felicity Cloakeīack when it was the preserve of the Tom and Barbaras of this world, carrot cake was customarily made even more beardy with wholemeal flour, an approach still favoured by Claire Clark and Delia. The delicate sponge is a great showcase for the distinctive sweetness of the carrots, but it's overwhelmed by the heavy cream cheese icing – I think this would make a lovely fairy cake, or madeleine-style nibble, but it's too refined and subtle to qualify as a carrot cake. The whole mixture is as light as a cloud – even the carrots are finely shredded, rather than simply grated, and the flour is extra-fine – making for another very different carrot cake experience. Jane Grigson's recipe is also unusual: a fatless génoise reliant for volume on whisked egg whites rather than any raising agent. (Given it's gluten and lactose-free, I suspect I may find myself making this one again for the digestively-challenged man in my life.) I love it, but I don't think it will chime with many people's idea of a perfect carrot cake, regretfully. As she admits, it's "not much to look at" – a golden disc about half the height of one layer of an ordinary cake – but it's incredibly moist and deliciously nutty, with a lovely citrus kick too. Nigella supplies a recipe originating from Venetian Jews which sounds refreshingly medieval, made as it is from ground almonds, rather than flour, enriched with eggs and olive oil and studded with booze-soaked sultanas and toasted pine nuts. Not all carrot cakes are supersized, American-style. Whichever you use, make sure to toast the nuts before adding them into the batter to maximize their flavor.Nigella's recipe carrot cake. Pecans are the Southern choice, but walnuts are delicious, too. Chopped nuts: You don’t have to add nuts to your carrot cake, but we think the best versions do.Toasting the coconut before adding it into the batter will only help amp up its flavor. You can skip it, but the coconut plays well off the tang of the buttermilk and warm notes of the cinnamon. It adds both texture to the cake and a touch of sweetness (plus, it beats raisins any day). Flaked coconut: Coconut in carrot cake is a distinctly Southern touch.If you can’t find or don’t have crushed pineapple, you can substitute applesauce, but it won’t be quite the same. It may seem odd, but this is one ingredient not to skip. The pineapple’s juice also adds moisture and a touch of extra sweetness. You won’t really taste the pineapple in the cake, but it will help keep it tender, thanks to its acid content and natural enzymes. Crushed pineapple: This is the secret to moist carrot cake.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |