Loaf of Carroty Goodness

Mom asked me to make carrot cake. I took the challenge and wanted to make something different out of it. Of course, she wouldn't have any of that. So to compromise I halved the recipe batter and the frosting. I made her a carrot cake without the layers and baked it in a loaf pan. The other half of the recipe went to my Christmas Project.

Normally we would not add the cream cheese frosting for our carrot cakes. But I wanted to play with food coloring that time so I went ahead. I enjoyed making pink and green colored frosting. As a result, I had 3 colors of frosting: white which ended up on the carrot loaf; pink for chocolate cupcake 1 and green for chocolate cup cake 2. I still had a lot left over and decided to do this. Just click on the link to find out ;).

For amateur "food colorists", do be careful that you do not get some on your palms. I ended up having red and green spots. But need not be alarmed, they wear off in time.

Carrot Cake
from Mom's Recipe files

The Ingredients:

The Cake:
   3 eggs, beaten
   1 1/2 cups sugar
   1/4 cup vegetable oil
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   1 teaspoon salt
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   2 cups flour
   3/4 cup buttermilk*
   3 cups grated carrots (about 1 - 1/2 kilo carrots, peeled and grated)
   1/2 c. chopped nuts


Cake Cooking Procedure:
Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Grease and dredge 2 9x9 round cake pans or 2 loaf pans. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture then 1/2 of the buttermilk; add the flour and buttermilk alternately until the mixture is slightly lumpy. Add carrots and nuts; blend well. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cake is done**.

Prepare the frosting recipe below.

If you used 2 9x9 round pans, Frost the top of the bottom layer by spreading almost 1/3 of the frosting. Place the second cake on top. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

If you used loaf pans, divide the frosting into to and frost each of the loaves.

The Cream Cheese Frosting:
   3 ounces cream cheese, softened
   1/4 cup butter or margarine
   2 cups powdered sugar
   2 teaspoons vanilla
   1/4 cup chopped nuts

Frosting Procedure:
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Fold in the nuts.

My Notes:
* Buttermilk Substitute
   If buttermilk is not available, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of milk. Let it stand for a at least 10 to 15 minutes.

** Cake-is-Done Test
   You may use the knife or toothpick test to check if the cake is done. Insert the knife at the center of the cake; when you pull it out and it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, continue to let it cook and retest.

Candidate 2: Crunchy Nanas

While browsing the net I came across BakingBites and saw the Crunchy Banana Muffins. I thought of adding this entry as one of the candidates for the Search for Christmas treats 2007. The recipe was simple, the ingredients were readily available and it was a different approach to the traditional banana bread we would give to loved ones. My aunt who is a prime lover of banana bread would definitely love this.

The verdict: It was good for taste and appearance. It was definitely moist. My blunder was the crumble. It should have a crunchy top. I have over mixed it and the butter became too soft. I should have made the crumble last or at least placed it in the fridge to keep it's shape. It still was fun to make and the folks who have tried it said it was good even without the crunch.

And the search continues...

Note: I hope Nicole of BakingBites wouldn't mind me linking back to her site. I would love to post her recipe her but I still haven't heard from her yet. You may visit the link here to get the recipe and try it out.

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Update: Yipee. I can share with you the recipe. Thank you Nicole! :D

Banana Crumb Muffins
from BakingBites.com
Muffin batter:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
2/3 cup (2 medium) mashed bananas, divided
1 tsp vanilla

Crumb topping:
½ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp shortening, cut into small pieces.
1 tbsp mashed banana (reserved from 2/3 cup mashed banana)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Prepare the crumb topping: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Larger crumbs are a bit more desirable. Stir in the mashed banana and set bowl aside.

Prepare the batter: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk, egg, bananas and vanilla. Pour flour mixture into banana mixture and stir until batter is just combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling each 2/3 full. Top each muffin with crumb mixture, dividing it evenly.
Bake for 18-21 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the muffins spring back when gently touched.
Makes 12 muffins

Stuck to the Pot

I have been procrastinating in making dumplings for a few weeks now until I took the opportunity to really try my skills in making this simple dish.

Dumplings are distantly related to wantons because both may contain meat and vegetable fillings. However, the dumpling wrapper is thicker and oblate in shape and sealed by crimping the edges together making a closed crescent or purse. These are usually accompanied by a soy sauce-based sauce with and or chili paste. In cooking dumplings, they can be just steamed, boiled, pan or deep fried. Or a combination of these methods may be applied to get the desired texture and effect.

It is believed that dumplings symbolize prosperity and good fortune (legend says that a Chinese Imperial chef accidentally over cooked a batch of dumpling and slightly burned one side. He served it to the court and fortunate for him that they loved it). During Chinese New Year and grand celebrations, the Jiaozi is part of the menu. But it doesn't mean that one would have to wait for celebrations to be able to have a wonderful time savoring this appetizer. Just go to any Chinese, Japanese (they call their dumplings as Gyoza) or Korean (Mandu) restaurant and order.

The easy part in making this is store-bought dumpling wrapper. I could make some from scratch but currently, I don't have the patience and time to do it. I could have just left is as plain crescents but I wanted to add a little flair plus presentation so I added "pleats" (see the inset photograph above).

The Ingredients:

1 cup napa cabbage(sometimes called Chinese cabbage or Baguio Pechay), chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Dash of white pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
375 grams lean ground pork
60 grams shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
24 oblate/round dumpling wrappers
canola oil, divided
2 cups chicken broth, divided (you may use the fat-free, low sodium for a more healthier approach)

Cooking Procedure:

Mix the first 10 ingredients in a bowl.
Get 1 wrapper and spoon a heaping teaspoonful of filling into the center of the wrapper. Moisten the edges with water then fold in half. Pinch the edges or crimp the edges to seal. Holding the sealed edges of the pot sticker between the thumb and first two fingers of each hand, form 3 to 4 pleats along the seal. Set aside with the seam side up on a dry platter. Repeat the steps until you have filled the remaining wrappers.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. If a non-skillet is used, you have the option to omit the oil or lessen the oil further to a teaspoon at a time. If you have a small skillet, cook the dumplings in 3 batches.
Arrange 12 pot stickers with the seam sides up in pan, and cook for 45 seconds or until browned. Pour 1 cup of the broth and cook for 5 minutes covered. The steam will cook the dumplings through.Uncover and cook about 1 minute or until liquid evaporates . Remove the pot stickers from pan; cover and keep warm. Repeat for the remaining set of dumplings.

Serve with a soy sauce-based dip. The soy sauce-based dip could be a combination of soy sauce, grated ginger, vinegar or lemon juice, a little sugar and a few drops of sesame oil. Chili paste may be added for a more spice.

My Notes: Be careful not burn the bottoms completely because they tend to stick and it would be harder to remove. Keep the initial batches warm and covered because as they cool and is exposed to the air, the wrappers tend to harden.

The verdict: The ready-made wrapper was too thick for Mom's taste. But the filling was good. They were easy to make and cook. I didn't use a non-stick pan and thankfully they didn't stick. Each had a pretty brown crusty bottom. I am planning to serve this for the holidays and bless the family with some prosperity and good fortune.