Tag: Carrot

carrot coconut cake with creamy frosting

walnuts coconut cake dessert pineapple carrot cream cheese

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You know how good our Alaskan carrots are, and this is a perfect recipe to celebrate them! Cakes are always good for celebrating, don’t you think? You can make a beautiful layer cake or gorgeous cupcakes, topped with creamy, tangy white frosting and golden curls of toasted coconut.

This recipe is based on one in rebar modern food. A single batch will make 18-20 cupcakes, or one 8” double-layer cake.

cake

1 ½ cups grated carrots
¾ cup crushed unsweetened pineapple, drained
¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup chopped dates (I use date nuggets), steamed 5 minutes if hard and dry
¾ cup toasted walnuts, chopped (toast for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven)
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

frosting

2 blocks Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (12 ounces each)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

garnish

1-2 cups large unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted in a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until light golden-brown

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans and set aside. Combine grated carrot, pineapple, coconut, dates and walnuts in a large bowl.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the sugars with the eggs. Stir in the vanilla and whip on high speed until the volume has tripled. On medium speed, pour the oil in slowly to blend.
3. Combine the remaining dry ingredients and gently stir into the egg mixture. Fold gently into the carrot mixture. Divide the batter between the cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks. Wait until the cakes are completely cool before making the frosting.
4. Beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and powdered sugar until completely creamy. Put the bottom layer of the cake on a plate, and spread just the top of the cake with frosting. Place the top cake layer on, and again, just frost the top of the cake. (If you don’t want the cake to be quite as decadent, you can get away with a half batch of frosting, since you’re only frosting the tops of the cakes.) Garnish the top with toasted coconut.

for cupcakes, line 2 muffin tins with cupcake papers and spray the papers with nonstick spray. Scoop the batter into the cups (use an ice-cream scoop if you have it) and fill the cups fairly full; the cupcakes don’t rise much because of all the carrots and fruits and nuts weighing down the batter. Bake them at 350 degrees, testing them for doneness with a toothpick after about 20 minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven, let cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Wait until completely cool before frosting, as for the cake.

cold curried carrot and coconut milk soup

carrots soup coconut curry carrot

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(contributed by Nancy)

I needed to make something for a lunch and needed to consider two things. I had to do it ahead of time and it had to be easy to eat with little or no clean up.  I made the soup and put it in a zip lock and served it coffee cups.  It was a big hit!

¾ cup finely chopped scallions (about 1 bunch)
1 small onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled and sliced thinly (about 4 cups)
2 ½ cups low salt chicken broth
1 to 1 ½ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus additional

1.  In a large heavy saucepan, cook chopped scallion, onion, and ginger root in butter and curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. 
2.  Over moderately low heat until softened and add carrots and broth.  Simmer mixture, covered, 20 minutes or until carrot are very soft. 
3.  In a blender puree the mixture in batches with coconut milk until very smooth, transferring as pureed to a bowl.  Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice and chill soup at least 6 hours or overnight. 
4. Thin soup with ice water and season with additional lime juice, salt and pepper.
Cook’s note: I always hated dealing with fresh ginger root even though I loved the taste. Then I discovered the easy way to peel it.  Simply use the side of a spoon to scrape the skin off.  Easy peasy!

carrot salad with green chili and cilantro

carrots salad cilantro carrot spicy

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(contributed by Nancy)

This is the one shredded salad you want to make right before you serve it, because the carrots bleed once they’re shredded and salted. It is adapted from The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson.

4 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar
juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
cilantro leaves picked from 4 or 5 bushy sprigs
1 green serrano or 1/2 jalapeno, seeded

1.  In a large bowl, mix the grated carrot together with the salt, sugar and lime juice. Leave to macerate for at least 30 minutes.
2.  Meanwhile, place the coriander seeds in a small, dry skillet and gently toast them over low heat until they smell very good, but be careful not to burn them. Tip into a mortar and lightly crush with the pestle.
3.  Now mince the cilantro and chili together. Add to the carrots together with the coriander seeds and mix well. Turn into a serving dish and enjoy.