Baking Time!
Well, it was a hectic week as usual and being sick also did not help. Friday being our rest day, I took the opportunity and slept the most of the day. I was so exhausted that just by setting my back on the bed would make me doze.
But hey, my kiddos would have to be fed so I have to get up and prepare something for them. In the morning when I woke up, I saw they already helped themselves for breakfast but of course I cannot let them be like that for lunch and dinner, LOL.
Scavenger Hunt in the Kitchen
I love to cook and though there are times when I go all out and buy all ingredients required in a recipe, I sometimes just settle for recipes which require only items that are already at hand.
I wanted to bake a carrot cake, I have never done so. I know we always have carrots in the fridge. I checked some recipes online and found that I have most of the ingredients in my kitchen so I went on to work.
Baking is a Remedy to my Tired Being
Not an exaggeration. I really love to bake. It destresses me and puts my thoughts away from life's anxieties. Best, I put my heart to it since I am doing it for the people I love.
If I were to have my own house, I would love to have a big kitchen. It could be larger than the living room. I would not mind. LOL. But for now, here in the UAE, I need to settle with the tiny kitchen of our studio apartment.
Successful Baking Attempt
They say baking requires precision or otherwise you will not get the desired output. Though I normally follow the measurements asked for my the recipe, I do not shy when making alterations and substitutions too.
When I said I will make a carrot cake, I later realized that I still have some ripe mangoes that were given to us by @abdoon (an Emirati steemian) so I thought of adding mangoes in the recipe.
The cake was fantastic!
I am not saying this because I was the one who baked it, but it was very soft and moist. The sweetness is just right and the taste blends well.
My kids love it and I am sure to make another one again soon.
The Recipe
If you would like to try, let me share the recipe that I followed to make this very tasty, moist carrot-mango cake!
- 2 large carrots, grated (around 2 cups)
- 1 small ripe mango, cubed
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 medium sized eggs ( I used 4 since native eggs are small)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Most recipes I found online call for pecan nuts. I do not have them, and I don't think it really made a big difference.
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- lemon zest
(Note: it will not be enough to cover the whole cake but it came out just fine for my taste. You may want to check this out for another frosting recipe.)
- Grease a 9" round baking pan and preheat oven at 200°C.
- In a large bowl, put together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder.
- Whisk together sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla then gradually add the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the grated carrots and mango cubes.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for around 40-50 minutes. You will know that the cake is ready when you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
- Prepare the frosting by just whisking them together until creamy.
- Let the cake cool down in a rack before adding the frosting. I sliced the cake into two and added frosting in the middle and then the top.
Viola! My moist Carrot-Mango cake! Best served with brewed coffee. ☕ ❤️️
@divinekids sign of approval! 😍
All photos are mine, taken via my Samsung Galaxy Note 3.