I just got back from my hometown and it was my friend's birthday and she was over for tea. This was the best I could do in a few hours! Turned out nice and clean all thanks to Satin Ice fondant and gumpaste. Very nice texture but good price at the same time. I have always been a Wilton fan but I am now sold on Satin Ice.
I have never liked carrot cakes as they are usually quite dense. I like the flavour profile of the carrot cake though, a hint of cinnamon with cream cheese. The solution was to modify a standard carrot cake recipe. The recipe I used called for bread flour and 45 minutes of baking, things that created the dense texture. I replaced the bread flour with plain flour and instead of 45 minutes, I divided the cake batter into 3 equal portions and poured into 7 inches baking tins. I then baked them for exactly 12 minutes in a moderate oven. I also omitted the walnuts called for in most carrot cake recipes and opted for pistachios instead but not in the cake batter. The results - 3 fluffy layers of carrot cake. Now comes the all important cream cheese frosting. Equal amounts of cream cheese to icing sugar beaten together. For the zesty flavour I opted for the citrus fruit that is very uncommonly used in baking - Lime. Most recipes would call for orange or lemon. Well, I love lime. It's one of my favourite acid source when I cook. It is bold and distinct. One lime zest into the frosting. Assembling the cake is to layer the 3 fluffy layers with the frosting and then cover the cake as well and pat the chopped roasted pistachios around the cake. Top with more lime zest. The final product is a fluffy carrot cake with a zesty sweet frosting and a crunchy outer layer of nuts. My carrot cake is definitely one of my most requested flavour amongst friends and family.
