Montag, 18. Februar 2013

My baking addiction {Or the-addiction-to-everything-sweet and some heavenly carrot cake recipe}

The last weeks have been tough (I mentioned that before, didn't I?) but I guess I can really say it's better now. Little girls have to grow up at some point, right?! And as a huge relief I also discovered that it wasn't just my mood and certain things that pulled me down. No. It was the weather. You don't trust me? Well you better do. Because we had the first real sun and blue sky in four weeks TODAY! Say that again in your mind: Four weeks. Four! As in four weeks equals 28 days, as in sun-the-last-time-when-I-was-still-in-Vancouver (huge sight). I never noticed...but that pulls you down.
Anyway. We had sun today and I'm heading towards even more sun, so I guess things are improving right now. (So much for the usual randomness...)
 
To some totally different things....Somehow I sometimes wish I could say I don't like sweets. However.
That's so not true.
Like really.
Because: I love sweets. 

(Seriously. Who doesn't!?) Not sweets as in the kind of gummy bears (I actually really don't like those!) but I love chocolate. And I love frosting. And icing. And moist and gooey cakes, cupcakes, bars, cookies, peanut butter, sprinkles, crumbs, icing, chocolate sprinkles....I think I made my point.
So. Especially recently I spent a lot of time in our kitchen (haha probably way too much). But oh, well.
Here is what happened in our kitchen recently.

Something with peanut butter and chocolate
More peanut butter (this recipe) though it turned out quite moist (super moist that is) and pretty heavy but oh so delicious!
Chocolate and frosting
That was my mums boyfriend's birthday
We had this cake last week
And jep, I totally put my cake pops into our butter! Figure...

Serious stuff I tell you! But I love the whole process of baking just way too much. So it sort of came in handy that it was my grandpas birthday this weekend. (Oh just as a short side note: I'm trying to get some information about my flight, I hate those voice machines...and their music). Anyway back to my grandpas birthday. I, of course, baked something for him. Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting to be more specific. The best I ever had to be a 100% honest. And so I thought (and also because it comes in handy to just give out the link to that post to everyone who asked for the recipe ha!) I'd just go ahead and share it here on my blog. (so much for random side information)

I got the original recipe from here (pinned on my pinterest "sweets♥" wall). It just went as it always does. I was kind of in a hurry to lazy to go out and buy all the stuff I was missing and I'm probably just not good and following recipe instructions. So here is my version of the original recipe.


Heavenly carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup (225gr) brown sugar 
  • 3/4 cup (170gr) butter 
  • 1 cup (120gr) flour 
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk (or, since we never have buttermilk, simply use milk, add some lemon juice and let it stand for a couple of minutes)
  • 1/2 flask vanilla essence
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 cups (~260gr) carrots
  • 1/2 (75gr)cup currants or raisins (I used currants)
  • 1 cup (~140gr) chopped hazelnuts
For the frosting (which I actually followed step by step...except you'll need half of it. So you'll end up with:)
  • 1 stick butter (115gr)
  • 12 oz. cream cheese (340gr)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 2 cups icing sugar (220 gr)
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C
  2. Beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla essence.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
  4. Add flour mixture to your butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk.
  5. Add the end, fold in: Freshly shredded carrots, currants and your finely chopped hazelnuts.
  6. Pour into your form and bake for 60-75 minutes (I did 70).
  7. Let your cake cool down (important!)
  8. Make your frosting by beating together the butter and the cream cheese. Add the vanilla essence and in smaller servings your icing sugar.
  9. Cut your cake into to disk.
  10. Spread icing on your first disk, apply your top disk and cover the whole cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate with chocolate, or nuts or whatever comes to your mind. 
The cake tastes best if you put it into the fridge for another couple of hours (or best: Over night) but I know myself just too well...so if you can't wait: Go ahead and enjoy ;)
(There are sadly not that many pictures...but you get an idea)

And I'm not too bad with cake toppers, am I?!
Otherwise it was nice to get together with everyone and get all the talking and story-exchanging done. It's family after all ;)

We weren't too lucky with the weather on our way to my grandpas. Snow, fog and darkness.
The fog stayed as well as the snow. At least for day one.
Alice in Wonderland comes true at my grandpas. Love it.
But even with all the snow and the fog...we had entertainment on hand
A lot of entertainment to be honest (Cat kisses ♥)
And some more distant relatives. But cute ones
She took over my phone with the camera...and did quite a good job (me sporting my cousins empty cupcake form haha)
At least a better one than she did on her plate (Meant are the photo and the unfinished cake cream...it was not my cake though....just so you know...)
So, now I'm off again to do things I'm actually supposed to do. Like pack. Or write down addresses. Or sew myself a bag...instead I'm writing on my blog. Priorities. Duh!
(Sorry for so many me-time-pictures...there are others as well...I'm just not too sure how happy their 'inhabitants' would be on making an appearance on my blog...so just me-time-pictures this time. Oh well)

2 Kommentare:

  1. I love the crockery at your grandpas!

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    1. yeah they are so delicate! And they remind me of my grandma...well and Alice :D

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