Monday 28 March 2016

Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake - How To Make a Zingy Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake









How to make zingy Lemon frosted Carrot Cake

Ingredients
Carrot Cake:-
250 Grams of Soft Brown Sugar
250 Ml Sunflower Oil
375 Grams of Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs
500 Grams of Carrots coarsely grated
150 Grams Walnuts
2 Teaspoons Mixed Spice
1/2 Teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda (rising agent)

Frosting:-
Zest of 1 Lemon
30 Grams of Soft Butter
80 Grams of Cream Cheese (make sure it is full fat cheese)
250 Grams of Icing Sugar

Method:-
Line the sides and bottom of a cake tin 22 centimetres in circumference with greaseproof paper.
Grate the Carrots. Chop or crush Walnuts.
Cream together the Sugar and Eggs and Oil.
Sift Flour, Bicarbonate of Soda, and the Mixed Spice into a bowl. Add the chopped Walnuts.
Add the wet mixture, making sure to fold in the flour, so as not to over work and stretch the Gluten in the flour.
Pour into the lined cake tin and bake in the centre of a moderate oven for 1hr 15 minutes to 1hr 30 minutes or until cooked. (Set the oven temperature around 160-180 degrees centigrade depending on the type of oven used).
Use a clean knife or skewer to poke into the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. If you can see uncooked cake batter, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes and recheck with the knife/skewer.
Leave to cool before removing from the cake tin and place on a wire rack to remove the greaseproof paper.
Mix the Lemon zest, Icing Sugar, Butter and Cream Cheese to make the frosting. Use a Spatula or a Palate Knife to spoon over the cake and smooth out.
Add more crushed Walnuts or add some zest of a Lemon to finish the decoration, although this is optional and not a necessary.

Friday 18 March 2016

Corned Beef Hash - A St.Patricks Day feast to soak up all the Guinness







One way to soak up all the Guinness on St Patricks day is to make a lovely Salt Beef or Corned Beef Hash.

Ingredients
300gm Salt Beef or tin of Corned Beef diced in centimetre cubes
1 large Onion Diced
1 Carrot finely diced
600gm Potatoes diced in centimetre cubes
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tablespoon Oil for frying

Method
Par boil the carrot and diced potatoes and plunge into cold water to stop cooking process. Drain and dry.
Fry the onion until golden then add in the potatoes and carrot and fry for five or six minutes.
Add two teaspoons of Dijon Mustard and one teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce.
Add in the beef and continue to fry for a further three minutes adding in some chopped Parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a fried egg on the top.

You can bulk this up with sliced mushrooms or a tin of beans, or even use the mixture to make a pie.