Spending winter with a delicious Carrot Cake

It is always an ongoing struggle for mothers to feed nutritious diet to their children. My wife too is always on a lookout for recipes and ways to make my 6-year-old son eat a nutritious and balanced diet. She always combines healthy ingredients with items that are popular with kids, so that they like the food they eat and also get the required nutrition. One such recipe is Carrot Cake. As the name suggests, this cake uses carrot as one of its ingredients along with flour, sugar and eggs. Carrot is one of the healthiest foods available to mankind on this planet. No one really knows where Carrot Cake came from, but the plant originated in Persia and is thought to have been cultivated for its seeds and leaves. It may have evolved from the carrot pudding of medieval times. During the middle ages, sugar and other sweeteners were difficult or expensive to come by in Britain and carrots had long been used as sugar substitutes. Carrots are grown from seeds and take about four months to mature – they grow best in full sun but tolerate some shade. They can be stored for several months in the refrigerator or over winter in a moist cool place, which is why carrots are available year round. In India, carrots are used in a variety of ways: they are consumed in salads and added to other dishes. One of my favourite winter foods is the gajar ka halwa, which is a carrot pudding prepared by simmering grated carrots in sweetened milk. Carrots are also used in Chinese cooking, usually in thin strips or slices and they add colour to the dishes they are added to. The most widely seen colour for carrot is orange; however, there are other varieties that can be black or dark red in colour. The orange colour in the carrot comes from B-carotene and other such compounds. They are also a rich source of vitamin A, K and B6. Research shows that carrots are a rich source of antioxidants and have anti-ageing properties and also help fight against cancer. While shopping, look for carrots that are uniform in colour from top to bottom. The skin should be smooth and free from cracks. The carrots may be slightly green at the crown. There are some varieties that are long and slender and some that are fat and short. Whatever variety is available, the shape should be uniform in size, shape and colour. Try to select carrots that have the stems attached to them. Avoid carrots that have begun to sprout and that have blemishes or dark spits, as they indicate old carrots.Carrot Cake has been a universal favourite over the years. After Britain, Carrot Cake became popular in America in the mid-1900s and started appearing on restaurant menus. Carrot Cake often tastes like spiced cake, with the sweetness of raisins or pineapple or even apples, paired with cream cheese frosting. These add-ins are the choice of the baker and can vary according to the preference of the eater. The cake has a mild but distinct flavour, while few would think of it as fashionable. It’s considered a timeless classic that never goes out of style.Carrot CakeIngredientsFlour 2 cupsCarrot, grated 3 cupsBaking soda 2 tspBaking powder 2 tspSalt a pinchCinnamon powder ½ tspNutmeg powder ½ tspEggs 4 nosOil 1 ¼ cupCastor sugar 1 cupBrown sugar 1 cupVanilla extracts 1 tspWalnuts ½ cup (optional)Raisin ½ cup (optional)Orange colour few dropsFor cream cheese icingCream cheese 200gButter unsalted ½ cupVanilla extracts 1 tspIcing sugar 2 cupsMethodPre-heat oven to 325 degree F and prepare a 12-inch baking pan with butter paper.Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder into a bowl.In a separate bowl, whisk egg with sugar till the sugar is dissolved and then add vanilla extract and oil to it. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mixing continuously to avoid lumps.Add grated carrots and walnuts and raisins if required.Pour the prepared batter in the lined baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.Check by piercing a knife in the cake; if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.Remove from the oven and allow it cool down to the room temperature.To make the cream cheese frosting, cream cheese and butter together until creamy.Add icing sugar and vanilla extracts and mix well.Remove the cake from the baking pan and decorate using the prepared icing.You can also cut thin layers of carrot cake and layer the icing in the layers to make a carrot cake sandwich.* Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at tarunkapoor83@gmail.com