I made something delicious for Easter Dinner. Then I did something stupid.
And my Chai-Spiced Carrot Bundt Cake Recipe
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Another busy week (as next week will be, truth be told), so this week is short a slice of life featuring my Easter Dinner kitchen oopsie. If that’s not your thing I’ve a recipe for Chai-Spiced Carrot Bundt Cake.
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I made something delicious for Easter Dinner. Then I did something stupid.
At mine, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day all have set menus, with minor variances to keep things interesting from year to year. But Easter is different. What I serve changes wildly and is dependent on the number of guests, our moods, my creativity, my time. Some years it’s porchetta, a stuffed saddle of lamb, roast turkey, a standing rib roast. Other years I roasted a jointed chicken or popped in a wodge of beef. I may have made pizza one year.
This year I wanted easy – low on effort, low on kitchen time, and high on flavour: slow cooker Dr Pepper pulled pork with kasundi-jalapeño baked beans, cornbread, and oil and vinegar slaw. Chai-spiced carrot bundt (recipe follows) for dessert.
I achieved big flavour. The rest went out the window.
I did something stupid.
The beans and cake (and a spontaneous five dozen cookies) were made the day before, so Sunday should have been easy-peasy. But my last minute brainwave to turn that gorgeous length of skin enrobing the pork shoulder into crackling was more boo-boo thank tickety-boo.
Pork fat smokes at about 163C.
My oven was set to 220C.
With two alarms on different floors bleeping, my languid afternoon rearranging furniture and reshelving books went up with every puff oven-belched smoke.
Windows open and alarms dealt with, I cleaned the oven by hand. Twice. After testing it with baking the cornbread, I kept a close eye as I set it on a short clean cycle tso anything that may have remained could be dealt with. Hours later, my oven beeped it’s “hey, you can use me” beep at about the time I’d mentally set to reduce the slow cooker liquor to pour over the just-shredded meat.
Not one piece of furniture was moved nor one book was reshelved on Sunday. But the crackling was pretty tasty.
New from me:
My latest review came out during the holiday weekend. This time, I went to Hem’s Hakka, a three-year old Indo-Hakka place in Kitchener.
What I’m reading, and foodish things I’m doing:
A few things have appeared that are taking up my free time, which will leave me preoccupied for a few weeks.
Chai-Spiced Carrot Bundt Cake
I love the beauty of a bundt cake. They magically combine hominess with spectacular presentation at the same time. This recipe fits one 2.4 to 2.8 L bundt pan, but if you don’t have a bundt, the batter fills two 20 cm (8”) pans (or you can halve the recipe for a single layer). Use your favourite masala/spice blend for chai or use the mix recipe I’ve provided below. Adjust the spicing to your taste.
Preparation time: about 15 minutes (plus rehydrating time for the sultanas)
Cooking time: 55 to 75 minutes for the bundt or 45 to 55 minutes for layer cakes
Yield: 1 x 2.4L bundt cake or 1 x 20 cm (8”) double-layered cake
This recipe can be halved.
For the chai masala/spice blend (or you can use your own)
¾ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
½ teaspoon clove powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
¼ teaspoon mace powder
¼ teaspoon star anise powder
For the cake
65 g (½ cup) sultana or other raisins
Boiling water, as needed
200 g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
1oo g (1 cup) white sugar
Zest of half an orange
300 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons (20 to 22 ml) chai masala (spice) blend – recipe included
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
185 ml (¾ cup) flavourless oil such as sunflower, vegetable, or canola
½ teaspoon salt
500g (approximately 1 pound) grated carrots
For the glaze and decoration (optional)
1 tablespoon of ghee or butter
70 g (½ cup) raw cashews, coarsely choppped
65 g (½ cup) icing sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
Juice of half an orange, as needed
Zest of half an orange
Before you start
Cover currants with boiling water and let plump for about an hour. Meanwhile, rub zest of half an orange into the sugars and let sit.
Mix chai masala by combining ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, mace and star anise. Set aside.
If you’re grinding your own spices, you want to ensure they’re finely ground, to avoid biting into a chunk of spice — I don’t mind, but some might.
When you’re about ready to make the cake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F and prepare the bundt pan – I use a baking spray (something baking experts generally tell you not to do), but you can follow these instructions on Serious Eats. If you’re using regular cake pans, butter and flour them, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
To make the cake
Sift together flour, masala blend, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat eggs until light and frothy – this takes about one minute, using a stand mixer set on high. Lower speed to medium and add oil, infused sugars, and salt and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl’s sides and beat in spiced flour in two or three batches. Scrape down the sides again. Drain sultanas and add with carrots to the bowl and fold in by hand.
Pour evenly into the prepared pan(s) and then give them a bit of a tap to remove any trapped air. If you’re making a bundt, bake for 55 to 75 minutes; if you’re making a layer cake (or a single layer), bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The cake will be done when a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean, the top is medium golden-brown and bounces back to the touch, and the cake pull back from the pan, leaving a gap.
Let cool for about 15 minutes and then unmould on a wire rack. Let cool fully before glazing—this could take a few hours, depending on your kitchen’s mood.
If you’re using the bundt pan: Use your fingers to gently pull the cake away from the side of the pan. Put a cake plate, serving platter, or cake stand on the cake. Quickly invert it –fortune favours the brave. You may need to gently jiggle the pan, so it releases. If you prepared your pan well, it should come out fine, but don’t be dismayed if you’ve got an ornately patterned pan and some crumbs stick. Life happens and that’s what glazes and sprinkles are for.
To make the glaze and decoration
For the nuts
Line a saucer or quarter plate with a layer or two of paper towels.
Melt butter in a frypan over medium. Lower heat to medium-low and add cashews. Stir constantly to toast the nuts to a golden brown – keep an eye on them as they can go from blonde to charcoal in a surprisingly short time. As soon as they’re toasted as darkly as you wish. Remove the nuts to the lined plate and let cool.
For the glaze
Add one tablespoon of juice to the sugar and stir well. Spoon by spoon, add more juice as needed, until you’ve got a pouring consistency. You may need more sugar if you want a thicker (or more) glaze.
Once the cake is thoroughly cooled, spoon the glaze over top and then strew with nuts and zest.
Omg! Just from the name, I had to read the recipe!
For the chai … mana … 😲 / spice seasoning, I believe we’re out of a couple of spices.
I love bundt cakes and (nutless) carrot cakes. Wifey has loved chai tea. So I figured!
It looks great in the photo!
Thank you for sharing!
Ryk Thekreator - mstdn.ca server / Kitchener