Carrot Cake Ala Mama Sarah (Recipe from Good Housekeeping)

Fresh from the oven

I've been wanting to bake a carrot cake since 1996. That's 10 long years ago at University. (Somebody is calculating my age, ah? I'm only 25 years old, btw)

I bought "Good Housekeeping" Magazine: April 2006, and I found 'Spiced Carrot and Walnut Pudding' recipe in it. I bought the ingredients a week after I got the magazine.

But, it was only yesterday (Sunday) that I forced myself to give it a try. I have typed the recipe halfway here, but thought that it might be illegal to publish it here without notifying the magazine first. So, I've deleted the half-typed recipe and you just have to bear with my own words.



Most of the ingredients, a couple of utensils needed and a pot of flower



The first step: whisk together brown sugar, eggs and oil.



The recipe recommends using an electric whisk. Luckily I have this mini hand electric whisk, my first ever birthday present from my husband. Wow, I've had that for 6 years now! (Is someone still trying to calculate my age? I'm 25 years old)

Please excuse my mediocre apparatus. I don't need high class or expensive gadget for my kitchen. Although any gifts or presents are always welcome. Hint: my next 25th birthday is in December. (Naja!! Quit counting my age, please.)

The recipe also said to beat for 3-4 minutes until thoroughly mixed. I'm not sure if the mixture is supposed to be bubbly like the picture above. But that was what happened to my mixture.

Then, STIR (don't whisk) in the flour, spice, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk if you dare, and see what will happen?

Lastly, stir in the orange zest , grated carrots, prunes and walnuts.

What's the difference between pour the mixture into a baking tin and spoon the mixture? The recipe said spoon the mixture into a baking tin. May be the technique affects the outcome of the cake.

According to the recipe, bake the cake for 1hr 15min at 170°C (or 150°C fan). But I baked mine in less than one hour. Probably I used a bigger or wider baking tin.

I did not complete the recipe by adding any filling or topping. I was too worried about the calories. So I stopped at this stage.

The results: No Frill Carrot Cake ala Mama Sarah

I tried to find a picture of the spiced carrot and walnut pudding from goodhousekeeping website. Unfortunately there was no match. I found a nice picture of carrot cake for you to compare with mine.



Hmmm.... I should put a fork by my slice of carrot cake making it look more scrumptious. May be my next try.

Anyway, Babah's verdict for my carrot cake was 4/5. That's not bad for a first timer, don't you think?
As for the kids, I'm sure Sarah would say "Anam" (meaning 6). She ate a slice and a half.
Amar eats anything and everything, so he would say "jejeje...tsssttsss..." (meaning 10)

~Mama Sarah yang perasan~

Oklah... oklah.. tak boleh lawan kek pisang si Naja ni, World Class Masterchef! Dengan ucapan: Good luck for your finals . (Tak tau nak cakap good luck in Korean lah, Aza Aza Fighting boleh ke?)