Posted by: Mala D
Baking is not indigenous to bengali cuisine but 200+ years of British rule changed many cultural & social ethos.The bhadralok of calcutta took eagerly to the English custom of high tea served along with a delectable spread of assorted cakes & cookies. After the Britishers left, the sizable Anglo-indian community also popularised western classical music & western food traditions through their tutorial classes & small eateries, though it remained a niche segment.
Point is, when you invite a Bong, don't just limit your desserts to roshogolla & sondesh. You can safely serve them cakes & pies. I should know: a lemon tart topped with lots of whipped cream would make me happy anytime:-)
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: 260gms
Sugar: 150gms dark brown sugar,75gms white sugar(or to taste)
Refined oil: 160 ml
Eggs: 4 nos,medium-sized
Carrots: 3 large-sized ones,abt 350gms
Walnuts: 50-100gms
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Baking soda: 2 tsp
Cinnamon powder: 2-1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder: 1/2 tsp
Allspice powder: 1/2 tsp
Pure vanilla extract: 2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Method:
Keep eggs, brown sugar & carrots out at room temperature for atleast 2 hours prior to cooking. Wash the carrots thoroughly, scrape them & dry with a paper towel. Now grate them from the large side of the grater. Keep aside. Dry roast the walnuts in a skillet, cool them & then roughly chop them.
Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius (350 F). Grease & flour 2 medium-sized round baking pans.
Arrange the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & all the spices in a large bowl. Pass them through a sieve1-2 times for proper mixing of all ingredients. Add the walnuts to this mix.
In a large bowl beat the eggs until frothy(1 minute), gradually add the sugar & beat until the batter is thick & light-coloured(3-4 minutes). Add the oil in a steady stream & then mix in the vanilla extract(1 minute). With a wooden spatula fold in the flour mixture until just well incorporated. Now add the carrots & mix everything properly.
Pour the batter evenly into the two pans & bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Take out & cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert it on the wire rack & cool completely.
Frosting: I like this cake without frosting. After all the whole point of baking at home is to be able to control extra calories! But those who can not do without frosting, here are the ingredients: for cream cheese frosting (keep them at room temp)
Butter: 60 gms unsalted butter
Cream cheese: 8 ounce/230gms
Powdered/icing sugar: 230 gms
1tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Method: in a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, sugar& vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth & creamy. Add the lemon zest. This batter makes two cakes thus you can make a four-tiered frosted cake. Remove the tops from both the cakes & divide into two rounds each. Apply frosting on each slice & top them over one another. Now frost the entire cake. You may also cover the sides with grated nuts & decorate the top with marzipan carrots & leaves.
Baking is not indigenous to bengali cuisine but 200+ years of British rule changed many cultural & social ethos.The bhadralok of calcutta took eagerly to the English custom of high tea served along with a delectable spread of assorted cakes & cookies. After the Britishers left, the sizable Anglo-indian community also popularised western classical music & western food traditions through their tutorial classes & small eateries, though it remained a niche segment.
Point is, when you invite a Bong, don't just limit your desserts to roshogolla & sondesh. You can safely serve them cakes & pies. I should know: a lemon tart topped with lots of whipped cream would make me happy anytime:-)
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: 260gms
Sugar: 150gms dark brown sugar,75gms white sugar(or to taste)
Refined oil: 160 ml
Eggs: 4 nos,medium-sized
Carrots: 3 large-sized ones,abt 350gms
Walnuts: 50-100gms
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Baking soda: 2 tsp
Cinnamon powder: 2-1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder: 1/2 tsp
Allspice powder: 1/2 tsp
Pure vanilla extract: 2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Method:
Keep eggs, brown sugar & carrots out at room temperature for atleast 2 hours prior to cooking. Wash the carrots thoroughly, scrape them & dry with a paper towel. Now grate them from the large side of the grater. Keep aside. Dry roast the walnuts in a skillet, cool them & then roughly chop them.
Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius (350 F). Grease & flour 2 medium-sized round baking pans.
Arrange the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & all the spices in a large bowl. Pass them through a sieve1-2 times for proper mixing of all ingredients. Add the walnuts to this mix.
In a large bowl beat the eggs until frothy(1 minute), gradually add the sugar & beat until the batter is thick & light-coloured(3-4 minutes). Add the oil in a steady stream & then mix in the vanilla extract(1 minute). With a wooden spatula fold in the flour mixture until just well incorporated. Now add the carrots & mix everything properly.
Pour the batter evenly into the two pans & bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Take out & cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert it on the wire rack & cool completely.
Frosting: I like this cake without frosting. After all the whole point of baking at home is to be able to control extra calories! But those who can not do without frosting, here are the ingredients: for cream cheese frosting (keep them at room temp)
Butter: 60 gms unsalted butter
Cream cheese: 8 ounce/230gms
Powdered/icing sugar: 230 gms
1tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Method: in a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, sugar& vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth & creamy. Add the lemon zest. This batter makes two cakes thus you can make a four-tiered frosted cake. Remove the tops from both the cakes & divide into two rounds each. Apply frosting on each slice & top them over one another. Now frost the entire cake. You may also cover the sides with grated nuts & decorate the top with marzipan carrots & leaves.
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