Carrot Cake with dried cherries



Carrot Cake is one of my favourite cake. This time, I use vegetable oil instead of butter. Soft and moist with colorful orange strips of carrot jutting out. It will be more heavenly with a little bit of sourish taste when some chopped dried cherries or cranberries are added.


I have not been updating my blog recently as I wasn't feeling well. I have to turn down a number of events and food tasting sessions too. Thus with more time at home, I start to dabber in this hobby that is close to my heart: baking and cooking. I feel happy when the dish just comes out of the oven smelling fragrant and have risen up well. I enjoy watching a dish while it is in the oven as gives this inner joy of accomplishment.

Carrot Cake 

Ingredients 

A
2 cups flour
1tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp ginger powder
1 tsp of nutmeg powder ( I didn't put in as I do not have any)
B
3/4 cups vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)
1 cup brown sugar
700g - 800g carrots (grated)
4 large eggs
1/4 Cup chopped dried cherries or 
cranberries (can be replace by raisins)
1 Tbsp Chia seed that have been soaked for 1 hour (optional)




Method

1. Heat oven to 175C
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in A together and seive it.
3. Mix oil and sugar, beat a little while in a big bowl. 
4. Beat eggs in a small bowl.
5. Alternately add the flour and eggs into the no.3
6. Slowly pour in the grated carrot and mix the batter well
7. Pour into prepared tin lined with baking paper. I use a 8in x 8in or 20cm x 20cm square tin.
8. Bake for 45 minutes in 375 F or 175 C oven.


Serve this carrot cake with cream cheese or just cut it into slices and eat it on its own. This carrot cake can be kept in refrigerator for a week by wrapping it in aluminum foil. But the carrot cake in my house does not have such long life as it disappears in just two days!

I find it tedious grating the carrots with hand. I have bought big fat round carrots thinking the plumber the carrot, it will be sweeter. But, alas I found out that it is harder to grate the fat carrots as they are tougher. After grating the carrots, squeeze out about a cup of the carrot juice, as too much juice will make the cake too moist. The Chia seeds are also optional as it will also make the cake more moist, but I put it in as it is packed with Omega-3 and excellent source of fibre. If you don't have brown sugar then just replace it with normal white sugar. If you don't have dried cherries or cranberries, then it can be replaced by raisins. If you still do not have any at all then it is ok to omit dried fruits, as the dried fruits is added just to bring the taste and texture to another level.

Baking cakes is recreational. Not only friends and family can enjoy the the fruit of our hobby, I find it fun being able to add or replace some ingredients, according to our taste and fancy and also whatever that is in our pantry!
 So Happy Baking! Be Happy!

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