Search for the Perfect Carrot Cake!

I'm back! Eventually... The summer just flew by & didn't seem to have a minute to myself to Waffle.
Sorry about that folks, but I'm sure you just about coped without me :)

I made this Carrot Cake a few weeks back. I have been looking for some time for the perfect Carrot Cake recipe... to make one like Patsy used to (Kinsale people will know the amazing cakes Patsy's Corner used to have) 
Following the success of the Avoca scones and Avoca banana bread, I hoped their carrot cake recipe would end the search! 
And while it tasted lovely, it didn't really live up to my expectations... it wasn't quite 'carrot cake-y' enough if that makes sense. It lacked some of the flavour that the best carrot cakes have. 
Never-the-less, I did enjoy it and himself was delighted with it. 

You will need 2 900g/2lb loaf tins for this recipe.

Ingredients: (Makes 2 loaves) 

440g/14oz Caster Sugar
400ml/14fl oz Sunflower Oil
400g/14oz Self-Raising Flower
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
1 teaspoon Salt
400g/14oz Carrots, grated
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Topping:
175g/6oz full fat Cream Cheese
50g/2oz Unsalted Butter
Juice and grated zest of 1/2 a Lemon
350g/12oz Icing Sugar
Handful of Walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/ Gas Mark 3. Line the 2 loaf tins with baking parchment. 
Whisk the Sugar, Eggs and Oil together until thick and pale. Then whisk in the Flour, Mixed Spice and Salt. Next, stir in the Carrots and Vanilla Essence. Divide the mixture equally between the 2 loaf tins, and bake in the preheated oven for approx. one hour.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
To make the topping, beat the Cream Cheese, Butter & Lemon juice and zest together, and then beat in the icing sugar. Spread over the cooled cakes, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts to finish. 

The recipe was very easy to follow, easy to make, & very tasty...just not the perfect Carrot Cake recipe! 
Anybody out there got the yummiest Carrot Cake recipe of all??? 

Cocktails, Stir-frys &.... Westlife!!!

Saturday 23rd of June... A date we had long been waiting for! Westlife's final concert & a trip to the Big Smoke for the girls. The excitement was paramount in the days proceeding, and we could hardly contain ourselves when the morning arrived.
We struck off to Dublin nice & early, all went smoothly & after a quick turnabout at the hotel, we were ready for action!
We had booked into Saba, on Clarendon Street, not too far from Grafton Street.

http://www.sabadublin.com
 
It is a large restaurant & cocktail bar, that specialises in Thai & Vietnamese food, and most importantly... Cocktails :)
There was a lively atmosphere & a great buzz about the place when we arrived. The staff were friendly & efficient from the get-go, and we did not want for anything for the duration!
The 5 of us were seated in a booth, which was comfy with plenty room, and it was nice to have a bit of privacy. 
We started off with a round of cocktails to whet our appetites... Grapefruit Cosmos & Daiquiri's set us up nicely.
For a starter, I had Sweet Potato & Corn Fritters with a sweet chilli & peanut dip. It was delicious - really light & just enough of it. The others had Hoisin Duck Rolls with leek & cucumber & a hoisin sauce, and Chicken Wings with a soya, honey and sesame glaze & a tamarind dip. Everyone was very happy after that nibble & the mood was jovial to put it mildly.


Wine was next... (having cocktails with dinner would really have been pushing it) 
Saba has a great & extensive wine list. We settled on a carafe of Pinot Grigio & a carafe of Malbec. Thumbs up all round again.
Our main courses arrived soon after our starters were cleared, probably a tad too soon. We would have liked just another few minutes, but I am being a little fussy here.
Our main courses were as delicious as our starters. I had a gorgeous veggie stir fry, with cashew nuts, red chilli & sweet basil. 2 of the girls also had this, one with prawns & the other with beef. And the non-spicy lovers of the group had a mild Massaman Chicken Curry with potato, onions, shallots & peanuts. All main courses were served with steamed rice. Everyone, without exception, really enjoyed the meal... but unfortunately, nobody had room for dessert! 


Overall, our experience in Saba was fantastic. The food is very reasonable, as were the cocktails. We did think the wine was a bit pricey - €21.50 for a carafe. It was delicious though to be fair ;) and had we chosen a house wine, it would have been about €16.50.
I'd highly recommend it & we'll definately be heading back!


After our long & boozy lunch, we headed for Croke Park in a horse and cart...don't ask :) 
And the night continued on with the excessive laughter & mighty craic that had begun in Saba.  
And I'm sure you will be thrilled to hear that Westlife were even more amazing than the lunch... Hurray! 

Banana Bread...

Oh Wafflers... I've been neglecting you! I do apologise. Things have been fairly hectic... holidays, new job, & have all over country for some reason.
I have had a little time for baking, and after the success of the Avoca Scones, I just had to give the Avoca Banana Bread a go! And I was not disappointed!
You will need one 2lb loaf tin for this recipe, or two 1lb tins. This recipe makes one large loaf or 2 small.


Ingredients:
225g/8oz Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 heaped teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 Egg, beaten
75ml/3fl oz Sunflower Oil
A few drops of Vanilla Essence
65g/2.5oz Pecan Nuts, chopped
4 medium ripe Bananas, mashed


Method:
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder & cinnamon into a bowl & stir in the sugar. Mix in the egg, sunflower oil & vanilla essence but do not beat. Fold in the pecans & mashed bananas, using a fork. Again do not beat. Spoon into a lined 2lb/900g loaf tin (or two 1lb tins). Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 50-60 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown, and springs back when prodded gently with your finger. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.


It is delicious on it's own, but I served with some hot raspberries! Yum Yum!
It also freezes well, if you want to make a few at a time. 

Guilt-free Pizza... well nearly!

Homemade Pizza! Yummy! I bloody Love it! I'll say no more... just DO IT! DO IT!!!
The recipe below makes enough dough for 2 large pizzas & enough sauce for 3-4 pizzas. 
I took the dough recipe from Sophie Grigson's 'First Time Cook' - a really great book for all the basics! While it may look very long winded, and a lot of work, it really isn't. The dough & sauce can be made in advance, & just put together when needed.


Dough Ingredients:
400g Strong White Flour
1 tsp Salt
7g Yeast (granulated)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
250mls - 300mls Tepid water.


Method:
Sieve the Flour & Salt into a bowl. Stir in the granulated Yeast & make a well in the centre. Pour the olive oil into the well. Add approx 100mls of the water to the well. With a pallet knife or a rounded kitchen knife, stir the liquid into the flour mixture gently. Then use your hands to mix it further. Add some more water, just enough to make a soft & slightly sticky dough. Place on a floured surface & gently knead until smooth, for a good 10 minutes. Roll into a ball & place in a clean, large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film, and leave the dough to rise in a warm place, until it has doubled in size. This can take an hour or so.


In the meantime, you can make your pizza sauce...and preheat the oven to about 200 - 220 degrees (depending on how crispy you like your pizza base)


Sauce Ingredients:
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Pinch of Sugar
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
1/2 mild Red Chilli
1 Bay leaf
Small bunch Parlsey
1 sprig Thyme
Salt & Pepper (to taste)


Method:
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, and place over a low heat for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the thyme & the bay leaf, and blend quickly with a hand-held blender. Easy peasy!


When the dough has doubled in size, place on a floured surface once again. And then the fun part... literally punch all the air out of it! Once you have relieved all your frustration on the dough, knead again for about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 2 even sized pieces, and roll with a rolling pin until nice and flat. Place on a baking tray or pizza tray, and spread some of your pizza sauce on top. Then add whatever toppings you fancy... top with fresh mozzarella & pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.


I promise you will not be disappointed! A delicious, healthy snack or dinner.

Carrot & Corriander Soup

So I opened the fridge after a week away & expected to find very little there, as the hubby had been home alone. WRONG! I was met by literally millions of carrots... Ok, well maybe not millions, but definitely 40 anyway! God knows what possessed him to go on the carrot buying spree, but more importantly what in the name of god was I going to do with them??!! 
It had to be either carrot cake or carrot soup. The guilt got the better of me, and the healthy, low fat option won out. 
It's not all that exciting I know, but it is damn tasty and fierce good for you! :)
Makes 6-8 bowls.


Ingredients:
700g Carrots, peeled & chopped
1 large Potato, diced
1 large Onion, diced
2 sticks of Celery, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1small handful of Corriander, chopped
1/2 a large Red Chilli
1 cube of Vegetable Stock
1 litre of boiling Water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper


Method:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic & celery and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the chilli, potato and carrots, & fry for another 3-4 minutes. Dissolve the stock cube in approx 1 litre of boiling water, and to the saucepan. Reduce the mixture to a low heat, and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.
Add the corriander, and season with salt & pepper. Blend until smooth. Add some more water if it is too thick.
Serve with crusty bread! Easy peasy! 
Once the soup cools, it can be put into plastic containers & frozen.

Avoca Scones... Good for the Soul!

This morning, in honour of my good friend Annette's visit, I made some scones. The last time I made scones, I used the recipe from Darina Allen's 'Forgotten Skills of Cooking'. While Darina can do no wrong in my eyes & they were very nice, they weren't as light as I would've liked. 
This time, I tried the recipe from the 'Avoca Cafè Cookbook'. And I was fairly chuffed with the result... as was Annette I'm glad to say!
These aren't for those who are watching the cholesterol or who on a diet... but my god, they are very good for the soul :) 


                                                                Ingredients:

450g/1lb Self-Raising Flour
A pinch of Baking Powder
A pinch of Salt
50g/2oz Caster Sugar
50g/2oz of Raisins (optional)
110g/4oz Unsalted Butter, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
50ml/2fl oz Double Cream
200ml/7fl oz milk
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to glaze


To Serve:
Whipped Cream
Your favourite Jam
Butter
A piping hot cup of  Coffee or Tea...


Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
Sift the flour, baking powder & salt into a bowl and stir in the sugar. If using raisins, add in at this stage. Using your fingertips, lightly work in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, cream and some of the milk to moisten. 
Instead of double cream, I used single cream & I did not need all of the milk - just 150mls approx. 
Mix well, until the mixture has a soft, doughy texture. It should not be sticky or too moist.
Gather the dough into a ball, and turn it out onto a floured surface.
Roll it lightly with a rolling pin to 2.5cm or I inch thick. Cut out with a round cutter or cup,place on a greased baking tray & brush the tops with the egg glaze.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
Cool on a wire tray. Serve while still warm, with butter, jam & cream & a cup of something hot!

Darina Allen's Butter Sponge...

Darina Allen's Great-Grandmother's Butter Sponge

Ingredients:


125g Butter
175g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
175g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Milk


Raspberry Jam
Whipped Cream 200mls
Fresh Raspberries 
Two 7" cake tins.


                                                                                    
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. 
Grease with the cakes tins with butter, dust with flour & line the base with greaseproof paper. 

Coco's looking hopeful...

Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, whisking until soft and pale. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well in between. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and stir in gradually. Mix together lightly and add the milk. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins & make a slight hollow it in the centre of each.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. When done, the cake will have shrunk away from the tin a little and the centre should feel the same texture as the edge. For some reason, one half of my cake ended up skinnier than the other, so I must try to get both halves more even the next time. 
Turn the cake halves out of the tins immediately & cool on a wire tray. Peel the greaseproof paper away from the base of the cake. 
When cool, spread some raspberry jam on top of one piece (You can use any flavour jam really-I used a gorgeous mixed-berry jam made my very talented mum-in-law) I then spread a generous amount of raspberries on top of the jam & topped it all off with 200mls of whipped cream.... Place the other half of the cake on top & lightly sandwich together!
Great with a nice cup of Barry's Tea :)

Taken from Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen.