Easter Idea - My Little Secret Carrot Garden (Carrot Walnut Cake)

This is my second last Easter Idea series, hopefully I can finish my last one before actual Easter come in. It has been a busy week for me at work and personally as my exam date is getting closer and closer, it is not easy to work and study at the same time while still updating my blog in a regular basis but I love baking so it actually more like a distress activity for me. Alright back to my Easter special edition, for my last two recipe Yoghurt Panna Cotta in Easter Egg and HotCross Bun, I’m really happy that I got a lot of compliment on it as both recipe. I’m trying my best to bring out the festival atmosphere here, and the only thing I haven’t explore for Easter is Bunny, so I’m going to grow a carrots Garden for the Easter Bunny.

This cake was inspired by one of the recent popular cake decoration that I’ve seen on Pinterest and Facebook – Pot Cake. Therefore I decide to come the Pot cake with carrot cake and create my little carrots farm. For the mini carrots, I’m using vanilla fondant to make some mini carrots. Surprising it turn out pretty cute and it does look like I’m growing carrots in my carrot cake. I made them about 2 days before I’m making this cake so it will have enough time to dry and become harder which make it easier to decorate.

For the cake part, it is a very easy recipe, also delicious, moist and a healthy option for breakfast. To be honest, I do not like raw carrots but when you put it in cake, you cannot taste the weird raw flavor anymore instead it bring out the sweet, soft and tender texture of carrots. It turns out so good and you just can’t help but to have second serves.

For the decoration, I used a cream cheese frosting on top so it can stick my “soil” Oreo cookie crumble and make it look like real soil for my secret little carrots garden. Then you can start planting the mini carrots into the garden. Finally you have created this adorable little carrot garden cake.

Hope you like this recipe which is great for everyday breakfast or afternoon tea, and yet perfect for the Easter Festival where enjoy this carrot while holding my little soft bunny.

Decorations – Fondant Carrots

Ingredients

100g Vanilla Fondant

Green food colouring gel

Orange food colouring gel

1) Sprinkle your work table with icing sugar and knead the fondant until it smooth and silky.

2) Separate the fondant into 30g and 70g.

3) Cover the 70g fondant with cling wrap to prevent drying.

4) Use a toothpick to dye the green colouring into the 30g fondant, start with a small amount and then knead until colour spread evenly. If not enough add more colour in until it read your desire colour. When finish cover the fondant with cling wrap.

5) Repeat the same for orange fondant. 

6) Shape the orange fondant into rope and cut it evenly, roll it into a ball. Use two fingers to gently roll on side of the ball and create the pointy end like carrot. Cover the fondant once you finish shaping it.

7) For the green fondant, use a rolling pin flattens the fondant. Cut it into 2cm wide strip; trim it into the crown shape (shown as picture).

8) Use fondant glue or in my case I just use some water to glue the leave onto the carrot.

9) Use knife lightly press on the carrot to create the wrinkle.

10) Leave it dry for 1-2 days.

Carrot Walnut Cake

Ingredients

2-3 carrots (approximately 280g)

1 cup wholemeal self-rising Flour

½ cup Plain Flour

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda

½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

50g Sugar

¾ cup Vegetable oil

100ml Golden Syrup

3 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

125g Cream Cheese, softened

50g Butter, softened

3 tablespoon Icing Sugar

100g Oreo Cookie

1) Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 20cm x 20cm square cake pan with baking paper.

2) Peel and grate the carrots and set aside for later.

3) Sift all the flours, bicarbonate soda and Cinnamon together into a bowl. Add in sugar and mix well.

4) Combine oil, golden syrup, eggs and vanilla essence together into another bowl and mix until well combined. 

5) Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stir gently until just combined and no more flour lump.

6) Mix in the grated carrots and walnut (chopped) into the cake pan.

7) Bake for 50-60 minutes until the skewer come out clear. Leave it in the pan for 5 minutes and transfer into wire rack to cool down completely.

8) Meanwhile, split the Oreo cookie and scrap the filling out. Put it into a clip lock bag and use a rolling pin roll on it until it the cookie become crumble.

9) Put cream cheese and butter into a bowl and beat until it become creamy and fluffy. Add in icing sugar and beat until it combined. Spread the cream cheese on top of the cake evenly. 

10) Sprinkle the Oreo on top of the cake and plant those cute little carrots into the cake.

Bon Appetite.