I was never a big fan of carrot cake — the idea of having a vegetable in a dessert put me off a little bit. That was until I met my fiancé. As a self-proclaimed foodie, one of the questions I like to ask people when I first meet them is what their favorite cake is. To my intrigue, carrot cake was at the top of his list, but he said he couldn’t find a cake shop that makes it to his taste. Little did he know that when it comes to baking, I’m always up for a challenge.
With carrot cake being something my family doesn’t usually make, my hunt for a good recipe landed me on YouTube. I rarely follow a recipe without making a lot of alterations, but this one was that good. Thankfully, it was a huge hit with my fiancé and my family — who, like me, were never fans of veggies in a cake — loved it. The secret is in the balanced cream cheese frosting and the genoise-like texture of the cake. Without further ado, here’s the recipe. Try it and maybe it will convert you, too. (Now I’m thinking adding vegetables to a cake might not be such a bad idea after all. Zucchini chocolate chip muffins next?)
1. Carrot Cake
(Adapted from Hanbit Cho)
Quantity: 1 Carrot cake (3 sheets/layers of 1.5cm thickness + plenty of cream cheese frosting)
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Sheet (Pan size: 15cm x 7cm (diameter/height). For an 8-inch pan (20cm diameter), multiply all the ingredients by 1.8x)
•89g light brown sugar
•122g eggs
•77g neutral oil (you can use sunflower oil)
•111g cake flour (you can make your own cake flour using all-purpose flour and cornstarch)
•55g almond powder (you can ground your own almonds instead of buying readymade almond flour)
•3g cinnamon powder
•4.4g baking powder
•2.1g baking soda
•1g salt
•25g chopped pecans
•25g chopped walnuts
•50g raisins (feel free to omit the raisins or only use one type of nuts)
•168g grated carrots
How to make it
1. Add eggs and light brown sugar into a bowl and whisk. Add the oil and mix.
2. Add the dry ingredients (cake flour/almond powder/cinnamon powder/baking powder/baking soda/salt) and mix well.
3. Add the remaining ingredients (pecans, walnuts, raisins, carrots) and mix.
4. Pour into the pan and bake for 45-50 mins at 165℃ (Pre-heat to 165℃). Adjust the baking time to suit your oven and taste. Stick in a wooden rod to check if any wet batter comes out — if so, then bake further.
5. Place the carrot cake onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
6. Slice it into three sheets of 1.5cm thickness. (You can also slice it into two thicker sheets if you prefer)
Cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
•320g cream cheese (room temp)
•120g powdered (or icing) sugar
•160g unsalted butter (room temp)
•3.5g lemon zest
•30g heavy cream
How to make it
1. Make sure the cream cheese and butter is at room temp (20℃)
2. Smooth out the cream cheese by lightly beating it.
3. Sift in the sugar powder and mix.
4. Smooth out the butter and add it in.
5. Add in the lemon zest, followed by heavy cream.
If you find that the frosting is a bit too runny, then put it in the fridge to harden it up a bit.
Assembly
1. Start by a sheet of cake on a plate or a rotating cake stand. Spoon one third of the frosting (or half if you have 2 cake sheets) onto the sheet and spread the frosting with a spatula.
2. Repeat for the second and third sheets of cake. You can get creative with the decoration. Hanbit Cho has a step-by-step tutorial in his video recipe that I followed.
Storage: Store the finished carrot cake in the fridge for up to five days. It’s best to store in an air-tight container so it doesn’t dry out.
2. Maqluba
By Islam Al-Sharaa
Maqluba is a traditional dish with roots in Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon that go back to ancient times. The dish gained its unique name, "upside down”, during a historical event in Jerusalem when the Muslim conqueror Salah Al-Deen Al-Ayoubi and his soldiers were served this flavorful meal after their victory. Salah Al-Deen loved the dish and described it as the "upside down” dish due to the way it’s served.
Ingredients
For the chicken
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed coriander
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Salt to taste and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 500g chicken thighs/legs (with skin or without/with bone or without)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups (1L) water (or more, check how much water is needed for the rice)
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 cinnamon stick
For the vegetables
• 2 eggplants, sliced lengthwise
• 2 potatoes, sliced
• 2 cups (330g) basmati rice, washed
• Chicken stock
• For serving: chopped parsley and toasted almonds
How to make it
1. Make the chicken for the maqluba: In a bowl mix oil and spices. Add chicken and mix until coated.
2. In a pot heat the oil, add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Note: traditionally Maqluba is made with bone-in chicken with skin. I prefer boneless and skinless chicken. If you prefer the traditional way, use bone-in chicken thighs and legs.
3. Add bay leaves, water, turmeric, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cook for 15 minutes. Note: If you are using bone-in chicken, cook for 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Deep fry the potatoes, then deep fry the eggplants. Drain on paper towels.
5. Assemble the maqluba: Brush a bit of oil at the bottom of a large and wide pot, layer eggplant slices and potatoes (make sure to layer them at the bottom and the side of the pot). Note: You also can use other vegetables to make maqluba, such as carrots, cauliflower and more. Then place the chicken, then spread evenly the rice.
6. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.
7. Once cooked, turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly. Then, place a very large serving dish or a plate on top of the pot, then, carefully invert the pot onto the dish in one smooth motion. Tap the bottom of the pot to make sure that everything is separated.
8. Chop some parsley and fry the nuts and sprinkle them over the maqluba.
3. Chicken Cafreal
By Sabastian Dsouza
Here’s an authentic yum Goan chicken recipe, Chicken Cafreal, that’s made with freshly blended ingredients that bring out a burst of aromatic Goan flavors. Every Goan would relate to this dish. Having had this for years makes us crave and often prepare it at home. My wife is an excellent chef and adds her magical touch, which makes any dish flavorful. Chicken Cafreal is one of the epic dishes that my wife makes and I’ve learnt from her how to prepare this authentic dish.
Ingredients
• 1 kg chicken legs or chicken pieces
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• ½ tsp cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 inch ginger
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
• 6 fresh green chilies
• 8 leaves of fresh mint
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
How to make it
1. Add all the ingredients, except for the chicken, in a blender and blend it to a fine paste.
2. Marinate the washed chicken pieces with salt and the blended paste.
3. Let it sit for around 30 minutes to absorb the juicy flavors.
4. In a pan add some oil and fry the marinated chicken pieces. Little water can be added for a thick gravy consistency only after the chicken pieces are fried (well done and browned).
For garnishing
Separately in a pan, fry two potatoes - sliced oval-shaped or like French fries and fry two onions - sliced like rings.
Finally, in a dish, place the fried chicken pieces. Add the thick gravy, fried potato slices and fried onion rings and garnish with mint or cilantro sprigs.
Voila! It’s ready to eat and once you taste this dish you’ll definitely crave for more. It is traditionally served with Goan brown bread (poee). However, it can be had with any bread or rice too.