CARROT CAKE ROLL

Not only does it look gorgeous but it also tastes SO scrumptious and has the best texture. It’s a visually impressive & festive dessert that is perfect for Easter, spring, and other celebrations.  Makes 10 servings

Ingredients
2.5 cups shredded carrots
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup plain or GF flour
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2.5 cups icing sugar
113g cream cheese (room temperature) – try quark or creme fraiche?
4 Tabs salted butter (room temperature)
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp BP
1/2 tsp salt
jelly roll pan
sugared kitchen towel

Prep: Preheat oven to 160° (FF) and line pan with parchment. Spray and set aside.

1.  Whip Eggs: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the eggs for 2-3 minutes on high, until light and frothy.
2.  Add Sugars: Beat in the brown & white sugars and vanilla. Fold in the shredded carrots.
3.  Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, BP and salt in a medium bowl.
4.  Add the drys to the wet mixture and fold in by hand just until no streaks of white remain.
5.  Pour batter into prepared pan & bake for 10-15 mins til cake is fully baked in centre and a toothpick comes out clean. While it bakes, lay out a clean kitchen towel and dust it with about ¼-⅓ cup of icing sugar.
6.  Cool and Roll the Cake: Remove cake from oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto the kitchen towel. Using the short side, roll the cake up tightly into the towel. Leave the cake rolled up until it is completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1.  Make the Filling: While cake is cooling, prepare filling by beating cream cheese & butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add vanilla & icing sugar: beat until smooth.

2. Unroll cooled cake & spread the filling evenly over it, leaving ½ inch of unfrosted cake on one of the short ends.
Roll and Chill: Start on the short end without the unfrosted part and roll the cake up tightly into a log. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

3.  Serve: When you’re ready to serve, you can dust it with more icing sugar or leave it plain. Slice with a sharp knife for the cleanest slices.

HELPFUL TIPS:
Be Prepared: Read through all of the instructions before making the recipe. This recipe is straightforward but there are quite a few important steps, so it’s read through before starting.
Room Temp:  For best results, start with room temp butter, eggs and cream cheese.
Carrots: Peel and grate large carrots using a box grater or food processor. Don’t use pre-grated.
For Presentation: For a pretty presentation, you may want to slice off a small amount of each end of the cake so you can easily see the swirled roll when serving.
Prevent Sticking: Dusting the kitchen towel with icing sugar before rolling prevents sticking.
Wrap in Plastic Wrap: while it’s chilling in the fridge, to prevent it from becoming dry.
Clean Slices: Ensuring your cake is nice and chilled will help with getting beautiful clean slices. For super clean slices, be sure to use a very sharp knife and wipe it off between each slice.
Storing Leftovers (if you are lucky)
Fridge: Wrap leftover roll tightly in plastic wrap. Can keep in fridge for up to 3 days!
Freezer: Wrap tightly with plastic wrap then wrap in aluminum foil. It will keep for about a month. Write the date on it! Before serving, thaw for about an hour at room temp then, slice and enjoy!

 

Cabbage Pie

Delicious at any temperature, even cold from the fridge. And nothing could be easier to make.

Servings: 

Ingredients

  • 425 grams cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded (about half of one medium size head of cabbage)
  • 150 grams onion, diced (half of a large onion)
  • 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt (or stir through the cabbage)
  • black pepper to taste
  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 80 gm all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup of flour)*
  • 1 Tab vegetable oil, for frying the pie

Instructions

  • Put the cabbage, onion, parsley. and seasonings in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Pour the beaten eggs over the mixture, and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the flour, and, again, toss to coat.
  • Warm the vegetable oil in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the cabbage mixture, and mash it down lightly with a spatula. Then run the spatula between cabbage and skillet to create a round, or “pie” shape. Cover the skillet, and let cook until richly browned on the bottom — about 10 minutes.
  • Flip the pie. To do this, slide the pie, top side up, onto a large plate,. Carefully place the skillet over the pie, and then invert so that the bottom of the pie is now on the top. Cook, covered, until done — about 7 minutes. Slide the pie onto a plate or serving platter, cut it into wedges, and enjoy!
    NOTES:  * try substituting besan for the wheat flour.
    what is southern fried cabbage?

    – Tried it for lunch added a little Parmesan cheese. It was delicious and will try the leftover cold.
    – How good it would be for breakfast with a few rashers of crispy bacon on the side!
    – The grandkids loved them. – the wedges really appealed to them. Added a little cheese to top.
    – I added a can of white beans for more protein. We tried sour cream then shredded cheddar – It seemed to need a little something more for flavour.
    – I shredded the cabbage as finely as possible with a chef’s knife, and I then cut the shreds crosswise into shorter pieces. A mandoline would work better than a knife.
    – I think about 8 oz (225 g) of a cooked flavorful meat such as loose pork sausage, diced bologna, cooked diced ham, bacon bits, etc. would be nice to add.
    – This reminded me of a dish I had in Japan that had a soy based sauce on the side to use in touches.
    – I cooked some bacon pieces with the onions first, then added to cabbage batter before going back into the pan. A sprinkle of cheese once in the pan would be a nice addition too.
    – I also used parmesan cheese and a dash of Tapatio hot sauce. Yum.
    – Sauté some some ground beef and add it.
    – In a snap you could leave out the nutmeg then put some pizza sauce across the top of the pie then put your pizza toppings on and Shazam you have pizza
    – Add a good shot of hot paprika or cayenne instead of the nutmeg & serve it with a sour cream or yoghurt sauce like it’s a giant cabbage pakora