When that desire for milk cheese frosting and spiced-cake layers takes over the day, it will be time to bake your carrot cake. Carrot cake has long been a springtime treat, and the original recipes have their roots in World War II when sugar was in short supply. Carrots became a valuable substitute for sugar and were soon used for cakes, breads and muffins.
Carrot cake today is often heaped with the glory of the main dinner, but you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to cook this tearoom classic. If you want to make a handwritten note the whole family can enjoy, here are six tips to make yours (almost) perfect;
Carrots Perfect tip #1: Use oil instead of butter
While some cakes benefit from a base of butter, a carrot cake is much moister when you use vegetable oil or light canola oil. Canola oil will give these cakes the right firmness and texture you need.
Carrots perfect tip #2: Thank you for your love
It’s easy to pick up a package of crumbled breadcrumbs at the grocery store, but these can be too dry and leave you with ‘chunks’ in the cake batter than the mix. You can use a hand grater or a food processor to get the right size and texture from fresh fruit; just remember to shave them first!
Carrots perfect tip #3: use fresh herbs
Avoid reading spice ‘mixes’ for cooking, and opt for real cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg powders that you can adjust to taste. The sweeter the better, so turn to an organic baked goods store or specialty food supply-chain”>supply chain to pick up your batch. spices
Carrot Perfection Tip #4: Use orange zest in the batter
Orange zest is one of those little known secrets to making the perfect Danish cake, and it can really take your cake from tasting ‘good’ to tasting great. The griddle is just a big fan of the griddle.
Carrots Perfect tip #5: Use shredded coconut in the mix
Many people garnish carrot cake with shredded coconut, but you can mix about 1 cup of carrots into most cake mixes for an extra-sweet touch. Coconut adds texture and flavor to layer cake and will “ripen” the cake after a few days in the refrigerator.
Carrots Perfect tip #6: use nuts for pecans
While some dessert lovers avoid nuts in the cake altogether, the walnuts in the dense carrot cake can make this dish even richer. Some recipes call for chopped pecans, but walnuts are much better because they complement the spices in the cake well and have a distinct flavor.
If you want some great parsnip recipes to get you started on your cooking venture, check out the RecipeZaar and AllRecipes.com pages for some classic recipes to try. Practice makes perfect when it comes to baking your unforgettable carrot cake, so tweak the recipe with these top six tips cup .
