The Food Diaries

Carrot Cake

This is the moistest carrot cake I have ever eaten. A winner. Note that a full recipe will need a dish the size of a roasting dish to bake in the oven and will feed many people (I can get 36 squares). So unless you are having a party half the recipe is plenty.

In a very large bowl mix together 3 cups flours, 3 cups sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbs baking soda, and 1 tbs cinnamon. Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I prefer rapeseed), 4 eggs, beaten and 1 tbs vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, 1 1/2 cups shredded/dessicated coconut, 1 1/2 cups puréed cooked carrots, and 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple. 

Now combine the two mixtures together and pour the batter into your preferred baking tin (large enough to fill up to 3/4) which has either been buttered or lined with baking parchment. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 180 degrees celsius till a knife comes out clean. Let cool completed before icing.

Here is a basic recipe for cream cheese icing. Note that you will need to double the quantities if using the full recipe above. Cream together 250g cream cheese and 90g butter, both at room temperature (this is important, otherwise your icing will be lumpy). Slowly mix in 3 cups icing sugar. Add the juice of half a lemon.

To make the carrots I used dried apricots and pieces of mint.

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The best (and easiest) banana cake recipe

The great thing about overly ripe bananas is that you can use them as an excuse to mix up some banana cake (or bread - the term is often used interchangeably). By the way, I wouldn’t bother with a recipe which calls for anything less than 3 bananas - this ensures a dense and moist cake which truly tastes of banana. Eleanor (a family friend from Ottawa) passed this recipe onto my my mother, who passed it onto me, and it is to this day my ultimate banana cake recipe.

In a mixer beat together 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 2 tbs milk, 3 mashed bananas, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda. Add 1 1/2 cup flour gradually. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes at 180c.

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Coffee & Cake - Sticky Chocolate Loaf

What more is needed to match a beautiful set of antique French coffee cups then a lovely dense chocolate fondant (with the addition of prunes and armagnac - a true match made in heaven). The following recipe is from the wonderful Ottolenghi Cookbook. Note that this cake is nearly vegan (just 1 egg and a little yogurt) and I’ve made both the regular and the entirely vegan versions (I made some substitutions) which both came out perfectly well.

Place 100g pitted prunes (preferably from Agen) in a saucepan with 100ml Armagnac or Cognac. Warm slightly and then set aside.

Put another 100g prunes in a food processor with 60ml buttermilk or yogurt, and 60ml sunflower oil and puree. Mix in 1 egg, 30g caster sugar, 60g light brown sugar, and 40ml treacle.

In another bowl mix together 115g flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 15g cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Fold into the prune mixture. Fold in 150g dark chocolate, chopped.

Pour into 2 small (500g) loaf pans lined with parchment (or in one larger pan either loaf or round). Now, cut each soaked prune into quarters and using your finger press them below the surface of the cake at regular intervals. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 170c.

Now make a syrup by warming together 80ml water and 80g caster sugar (stir to dissolve the sugar) to which you then add 2 tbsp Armagnac or Cognac (plus whatever was left from the soaked prunes). Once the cake is out of the oven poke a few holes in the cake using a skewer and brush over the syrup till is gets absorbed through. Let cool completely before removing from the tins.

Serve on its own, or with some sliced fruit (strawberries, cherries, orange) and some cream (clotted, creme anglaise, ice cream, etc.). Makes around 10 smallish but dense slices.

Vegan substitutions: 1 egg = 1/4 cup pureed prunes, 60ml yogurt = 80ml soy cream mixed with 1 tbs lemon juice. Add an extra 1/2 bicarbonate of soda to the flour mixture. I’ve also discovered a fabulous soy cream which can be whipped and served just like regular cream. It’s called soyatoo. Planet Organic in London carries it as does WholeFoods in the US. I add a touch of flavouring to mask the slightly bland soy flavour (amaretto works well).

Alphonso Mangoes with Mini-Madeleine Cakes

The exquisitely fragrant Indian Alphonso Mango season is cruelly short: April-May. This means that outside of this time period I barely give a second glance at a mango fruit. Go out and find one today (Indian supermarkets, fancy supermarkets) and then you’ll see what I mean. Do not delay, otherwise you will miss another year of these incredible fruits that melt in your mouth, dense and sweet in flavour. I buy them by the box, wrapped like jewels in tissue paper, and eat them every day. Simplest is best of course, but if you want to fancy it up why not serve it with a dollop of clotted cream sprinkled with chopped pistachio and the most delicate of French cakes, the shell-shaped Madeleine. Recipe below.

In an electric mixer whisk together three eggs and 200g sugar till pale and ribbony (this may take a few minutes). With the beater on now add the zest of 1 lemon (or lime), a pinch of salt, 1tsp vanilla and 70ml milk. Sift together 280g flour and 2tsp baking powder and gradually add to the bowl. Gradually add 150g very soft unsalted butter (even slightly melted is fine). Once well mixed together, transfer to a plastic container and leave in the fridge for an hour. Using a couple of spoons half-fill madeleine molds (I like the silicon variety as they do not need to be buttered and floured to make them non-stick). Bake at 180c for between 12-15 minutes (till golden). The dough keeps well in the fridge for a few days (ready for a fix).

Madeleine should be eaten straight from the oven (like risotto, they wait for no one).