My Ultimate Carrot Cake with Raisin, Walnuts and Cream Cheese Frosting

ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE
RAISINS, WALNUTS & CREAMCHEESE FROSTING
INGREDIENTS
(A) wet ingredients
4 large eggs
180g brown sugar
2tsp vanilla
240ml oil

(B) dry ingredients
260g All purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 1/2tsp cinnamon powder

(C)
340g grated fresh carrot
100g toasted chopped walnut ( for cake & garnish )
1/4cup raisin ( soaked in juice / water )

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
230g cream cheese, room temperature
Unsalted butter ( i omit butter )
Icing sugar to taste
1tsp vanilla
1tsp lemon juice

* Cream Cheese Frosting: In bowl beat the cream cheese on low speed, just until blended with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until fully incorporated and smooth.  Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest.

METHOD:-
* Pre-heated oven 180c.  Grease bottom and side line with grease paper.
* Pre-heated oven toast walnuts 180c for 20mins. Let cool and chop coarsely, set aside.
* Soak raisin in bowl of warm water or juice.
* Peel and finely grate the carrots.
* In a separate bowl whisk Dry Ingrdients (B)
* Wet Ingredients (A) - In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add (A) with a spatula, mix well. With a large rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots and 80% chopped walnuts and 20% for garnishing.
* Bake for 1 hour, no more no less.
* Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 5 -10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.
* To assemble: place one cake layer onto your serving plate. Spread with about half the frosting. Gently place the other cake onto the frosting and spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake, garnish with toasted walnuts.
* Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Fresh Fruit Cake for ME

Yes....my birthday 14th Dec 2016 ! Make myself a huge delicious Vanilla Fresh Fruit Cake.  It was so good!! The only thing wasn't perfect is the whipped cream.  Little thing that when i thought its easy, it turn to be the biggest problem among all.   I have no problem in whipping all the time, just too bad, i guess its the brand i bought whatever is that, it wasn't a good one and i won't going back for that particular brand ever again.

Back to my lovely cake, it was yummy.  A huge Basic Sponge Cake, was a good choice to bake this cake for my birthday.

FRESH FRUIT CAKE RECIPE
VANILLA SPONGE CAKE
INGREDIENTS:-
( 8" round pan )
5 large egg yolks
25g sugar
1tsp vanilla
85g water
65g oil
135 cake flour
1/2tsp double baking powder ( added )
5 large egg whites
90g sugar
1/2tsp cream of tartar

FILLING
3-4 fresh kiwi fruits
10-15 strawberries
1 canned peach

CREAM
1 1/2 cups Whipping cream
Icing sugar to taste
drop of Vanilla

METHOD:
* Beat egg whites & sugar until stiff peak set aside.
* Beat egg yolks & sugar till double volume, add vanilla and oil.  Beat a little and add in water with a mixer to blend, add in sifted flour with a mixer to blend in slow speed.
* Mix in meringue in 3 batches.
* Prepare 8" round pan, line base only, no need grease side.
* Pre-heated oven 150c.
* Bake at 150c for 25 minutes, increase temperature to 170c for 60 minutes.  ( original baking time of baking 140c for 25minutes, 160c for 40 minutes )  Its depends on your own oven temperature.
* Remove cake from oven into wire rack, wait for 15-20 minutes before remove cake from pan.  Side will shrink a little, run knife around and invert cake to wire rack to cool.
 * To assemble the cake - slice cake horizontally into 4 layers.  Place bottom layer on a serving plate, fill with whipped cream and place slices of strawberries dollop cream on fruits and layer with another cake, do the same with the rest until top layer.  Cover with whipped cream.  Top with fruits of your choice.

Pastry Fruit Cake ( II )

This was my 2nd bake Pastry Fruit Cake.  It was tall and fluffy. Beautiful, however, i still find it quite sweet though...

FRUIT PASTRY CAKE (II) RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:-
100g Butter
130g Brown Sugar
50g Strawberry Yoghurt
210g Cake Flour
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla
1tsp Lemon Zest
1tsp Lemon Juice
1tsp Double Baking Powder

Garnish:-
Fruits ( canned peach, fresh strawberries and blueberries )
Icing Sugar for dusting

METHOD:
* Line base and lightly grease and dust 8" round pan with flour
* Sift flour, DBP set aside.
* Cream Butter, Sugar and Yoghurt till fluffy.  Add in beaten eggs, one at a time, I mixture may look curdle.  Add in Vanilla mix well.
* Fold in sifted flour, DBP in 3 addition mix until combine with a hand whisk.
* Pour batter into round pan.
* Arrange fruits on top.
* Pre-heated oven, bake at 180c for 1 hour 40mins for a perfect brown top with my oven. ( adjust your own oven baking time, this cake recipe standard baking duration is 1 hour only )
* Insert toothpick to check the cake.  When its cooked, remove from oven cold on wire rack for 20mins, remove cake from pan.
* When cake is cool, dust with icing sugar amount of your liking.

Fruit Pastry Cake (III)

I love Fruit Pastry Cake, this is my 3rd bake for this particular cake.  I remember the 1st time i made was too sweet for me as i follow the recipe sugar amount, just too sweet and so on my 2nd bake, i reduce sugar from 170g caster sugar to 130g brown sugar and it turn out great.  For this 3rd bake, its all perfect!

This cake seriously smell fantastic!! First, its simply beautiful, this definitely a perfect cake to present for guests over tea or as birthday gift. This cake was made for a very special person birthday anyway.

Lets get on the recipe below.

FRUIT PASTRY CAKE (III) RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:-
100g Butter
130g Brown Sugar
50g Strawberry Yoghurt
210g Cake Flour
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla
1tsp Lemon/Orange Zest
1tsp Double Baking Powder

Garnish:-
Fruits ( canned peach, fresh strawberries and blueberries )
Icing Sugar for dusting

METHOD:
* Line base and lightly grease and dust 8" round pan with flour
* Sift flour, DBP set aside.
* Cream Butter, Sugar and Yoghurt till fluffy.  Add in beaten eggs, one at a time, I mixture may look curdle.  Add in Vanilla mix well.
* Fold in sifted flour, DBP in 3 addition mix until combine with a hand whisk.
* Pour batter into round pan.
* Arrange fruits on top.
* Pre-heated oven, bake at 180c for 1 hour 40mins for a perfect brown top with my oven. ( adjust your own oven baking time, this cake recipe standard baking duration is 1 hour only )
* Insert toothpick to check the cake.  When its cooked, remove from oven cold on wire rack for 20mins, remove cake from pan.
* When cake is cool, dust with icing sugar amount of your liking.

Banana Sponge Cake

This is a present for my friend birthday! :P She loves my Banana Cake.

This is such a lovely cake that i haven't got the chance to share for years, i have been baking this repeatedly like 5 times last year. I found this recipe from happy home baking .

When comes to baking involve with fruits,  i prefer to use brown sugar which the whole cake won't overly sweet when blend in the fruits.  For this recipe, the original recipe called for 150g of sugar, happy home baking had reduce to 100g with her recipe, however i still find it sweet, so i use brown sugar instead of caster sugar.  Did little extra banana decoration on top. :)

BANANA SPONGE CAKE
( For this time i used 6" round pan, the rest of my baking with this recipe i used 8" pan )

(A)
3 large eggs
100g brown sugar
250-300g Banana ( about 3 large medium ripped banana )
* mix everything in a mixing bowl.

(B) sift
150g cake flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
* sift 3 ingredients and set aside.

(C)
80ml oil
20g milk
1tsp vanila
* mix everything in a bowl, set aside.

DECORATION
Keep 1 or 2 bananas for decoration

METHOD:-
* 6" or 8" round pan. Lightly grease side and bottom, line grease paper bottom, dust flour side pan.
* In a mixing bowl. Mix ingredient (A) beat with a electrical mixer until ribbon stage, takes about 7-8 minutes.
* fold ingredients (B) in 3 separate addition with a spatula gently till all mix well, do not over mix.
* take 1/3 batter, mix in to ingredient (C) mix well with a balloon whisk and pour back into the rest of the batter and mix well until combine with a spatula.
* Pour batter into baking pan slowly, slice fresh banana thinly and decoration with your own desire.
* Preheat oven 170c, for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
* When it is done, remove cake from oven, invert cake on a wire rack to cool.

Happy Baking!!