Carrot cake, with pineapple

Carrot cake (with pineapple)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cups vegetable oil

1/3 cup crushed pineapple

1 cup of each white sugar and brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 taspoon allspice or 1/8 ground clove

3-4 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugars and 2 teaspoons vanilla as well as the crushed pineapple.

Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Carrot cake (without pineapple)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar/brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.


Original recipe courtesy of Allrecipes

Nom Nom's over the winter months

Here are some of the shots I took of some of the foods I cooked over the winter months.

Between December and February not only did my oven/stove break down but so did the BBQ so both were replaced and I'm happy with the results of them so far :)

I'll try to write a review for my Samsung Range because it has the interesting divider/insert that can turn the extra large oven into two ovens for cooking in each area at a different temperature, very cool!

Spring is in the air!

Teaopia's Fireside S'mores TEA

Here's how I enjoyed my new S'mores tea from Teaopia! Prepared in a similar way to Indian Chai Tea where the blend is infused into the milk.

I chose brown sugar as a sweetener and it complemented it very well :)

Oh and I just want to also mention that it tastes great steeped as regular tea with water, has a real toasty flavour!