Syrup-Roast Carrots and Parsnips

I know daily diets vary considerably around the world! The major cause is the weather and geographic differences. So, it limits our adventure on looking for new food. Why do I say this? Spending X’Mas with my friends found out some interesting difference could be. For example, pickle onion is a very common food in the UK. Most British people like it and eat it as the side or in the tea time when they grow up. For me and another Asian friend, we don’t like this tasty. The Asian friend brought some red bean pancake (Dorayaki). Most of my British friends don’t like it. But, it is a very common dessert in most of Asian cities.

So, I think it is not only climate and geographic issues are the major cause, but also psychology will affect a person’s diet, right?

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6

Baking Time: 40 minutes
Serve: Around 3~4 people

 

Steps of Roast Carrot and Parsnip

(1) Add sliced carrot and parsnip into the pan. Bring to boil for 5 minutes. Then, drain them in a colander.

(2) Place it on the bake tray. Sprinkle oil over the top, and then season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle over the syrup.

(3) Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn them over. Return to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes until they are tender and caramelized.

Before coming to the UK, I never thought of how tasty roast carrots and parsnips could be. Or, I never eat parsnip before. So, open our mind to enjoy new food. Try it.

Rosemary Carrot Toast

Recently, I like to do some different things on my baking or cooking. Mix some weird ingredients in the bread or doing some different combination! And see how it taste is? Is it weird? For example, there were two carrots in the fridge so that I think… yesyes… there is a carrot cake! Then, why not have a Carrot bread? Then, I grabbed some fresh rosemary leaves. I was wondering do these two ingredients match? I was not sure? Any, this is my try and run

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6

Baking Time: 15~20 minutes
Recipe

 

Steps of Rosemary Carrot Toast
(1) finely chopped rosemary and graze carrot. Set aside.

(2) Add flour, salt and sugar into a big bowl. Mix a little.

(3) Add 100 ml milk with instant yeast, chopped rosemary, grazed carrot and egg into the bowl. Mix all ingredients well.
(*Selena’s Kitchen Talk: I leave ONE table spoon of egg for brushing.
**Selena’s Kitchen Talk: My instant yeast’s instruction is to add yeast in the water around 5 minutes. Check the instruction before using it.)

(4) Then, move the dough into a floured table. Knead olive oil into the dough.

(5) And then, keep kneading it until the dough becomes soft and elastic. Then, knead the dough into a ball. Put back to the bowl. Leave at warm place to double the size. It takes around 90~120 minutes.

(6) When the dough doubles the size, squeeze the air out. Equally shape the dough into two balls. Place two balls in the toast tin. Leave at warm place to double size again. It takes around 45~60 minutes.

(7) When the dough is ready, brush some egg or water over the top. Send it to the pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and bake around 15~20 minutes until the top turns golden and crispy.

 

 

 

Same like carrot cake, this toast with carrot in is replaced as the sugar. So, the bread is full of rosemary flavor. No carrot flavor. Actually, I quite like this flavor. I think it will encourage me to try lots of crazy ideas in the baking and cooking… Hee… So… Enjoy it..

Mini Bunny Carrot Cake

Yes… Baked a carrot cake again. But, a little difference. I got a set of baking modes as my birthday gift this year. I just used them once. I like them a lot, but the only thing is not every has this set. And it is difficult to be reference. There was a small group hold last night. Instead of cutting and serving to people, bake a small cake will be perfect to serve. And one of my baking modes is mini bunny. Bunny and Carrot… Perfect.

Last time, I found out it is really hard to mix everything in after adding flour. I tried a new sequence that it is easier. And, I has tried lots of cream cheese icing recently. But, I got my best one yesterday. I think I will use this for my future baking. Enjoy my mini bunny carrot cake.

Oven Temperature Setting: 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3

Baking Time: 25~30 minutes

Recipe: 11 Mini Bunny Carrot Cake

 

Steps of Carrot Cake

(1) Add egg and sunflower oil into a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients.

(2) Add sugar, baking powder, and spice into the egg mixture.
(3) Add flour into the batter gradually. Well-incorporated everything before adding more flour in.

(4) Then, add grated carrots and chopped walnuts into the batter. Incorporate them well.

(5) Pour the batter into the mini bunny mode. Bake it at the pre-heat oven at 170C/325F/Gas Mark3 around 25~30 minutes.

 

Steps of Cream Cheese Icing

(1) Weight all ingredients

(2) Mix butter and soft cheese well

(3) Add icing sugar into the cheese batter. Well-incorporated all ingredients. Leave in the fridge that it will be easier to spread

 

 

Steps of Assembly

(1) Cool down the cake at least 2 hours. Cut the mini bunny in the half.

(2) Spread the cream cheese icing on the slicing side. Then, close them together.

 

Using this mini baking mode is really good for party. Everyone can just grab whatever they like. There are lots of mini baking modes sold in the UK because some parents like to bake with their children and enjoy the time. Anyway, me… just enjoy my moment in the kitchen.

Carrot Cake

 

For me, carrot cake has an interesting story. It was closed to Easter holiday. Of course, there were lots of cakes using Easter eggs or rabbits as the decoration. My friend were explaining me what Easter is and how people celebrate Easter Holiday. Then, my friend asked me, “Have you tried Carrot Cake?” I though, what? Carrot Cake? Why do people name carrot cake? It is not a tempting name!! Then, I asked my friend why people would like to bake this kind of cake? Is it because of Easter? It makes sense. Easter eggs, rabbits, carrot cake!! Why not?! My friend fell on the floor laughing. Sayidno. Although she didn’t know the reason, it is definitely not due to Easter. Google it that sugar was very expensive in the past. Carrot contains lots of sugars so that people used it as the sweeteners. Now, people just like carrot cake instead of price issue.

Another friend likes carrot cake a lot that she asks me to bake it as a challenge. I don’t like to eat carrot how come I would like to study carrot cake recipe. But, AGAIN, I should explore new thing instead of baking things I like to do only. So, I say YES. Did some studies I decided to reference MaryBerry’s Carrot Cake recipe. But, did some adjustment!!

 

Oven Temperature Setting: 180C/356F; Baking Time: 50~60 minutes

Recipe: 7” round tin (Height: 10cm)
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: If you have two 7” round tin, use it. It will be easier for assembly. And the baking time should reduce to around 30 minutes.) 

 

Steps of the Cake

(1) Weight all ingredients
(2) Add egg and sunflower oil into a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients.
(3) Add flour and baking powder into oil batter. Mix them well.

(4) Peel and grate carrots. Chop walnuts into very small pieces, around 0.3cm X 0.3cm. Add sugar, carrots and walnuts into the batter. Incorporate them well.

(Selena’ Kitchen Talk: Now, the batter is hard to handle by hand mixer. If there are dough hooks for your hand mixer, use it. If not, handle it by spatula. )

(5) Pour the batter into the 7” round tine. Bake it at the pre-heat oven at 180C/356F. May need to cover it with a piece of kitchen foil after 30 minutes, if the surface is well-baked. 

(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: Insert the cake tester into the middle of the cake. If there is no batter left on it, it means it is ready.)

 

Steps of topping

(1) Weight all ingredients
(2) Mix butter and soft cheese well

(3) Add icing sugar into the cheese batter. Well-incorporated all ingredients.

 

Steps of Assembly

(1) Cool the cake at least 3 hours.
(2) Shape your cake. The middle of your cake may grow up. Cut them off. Half the cake into two 7” round shape.
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: If you have two 7” round tin. Then, use it. You just need to cut the grow up part.)

(3) Place the first layer on the plate. Spread the topping on it.

(4) Place the second layer on the top of topping and spread the topping on it and around it. If you have some carrot chocolate decorations, put it on.

 

 

This is my challenge. I can’t believe it is so YUM. No carrot flavor AT ALL. Believe me. You say no to carrot cake because you don’t like carrot. It will be too sad. Try this recipe. It is amazing. When I did the decoration, we ate up all cut-off pieces immediately. I promise my friends that I will bake this carrot cake again. Go and try it. Enjoy it.