Every restaurant I visit I look to see what kind of delicious cakes they serve and taste them for inspiration. Most cafes serve carrot cake and most of the time they combine carrot cakes with nuts and/or raisins. With my son having a nut allergy, I wanted to make a recipe that he could enjoy, too.

This carrot cake recipe is so delicious, moist and fresh. The combination of the full flavor cake and the sweet frosting with the candied carrot, gives it the right balance of fresh and sweet.

Ingredients

• Oranges give the cake its fresh taste.
• Olive oil for the moist texture of the cake.
• Whole wheat flour for a more filling cake texture.
• Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg gives it extra depth.
• Dark brown sugar gives the cake the dark colour.
• Graded carrot can’t be missed in a carrot cake; the candied carrot on top gives it a nice extra sweet flavor on top of the cake.
• Eggs should be brought to room temperature before using
• Self-rising flour-if you don’t have this you can replace it with all purpose flour and baking powder.

For the frosting, I used orange and citrus zest, cream cheese and junket. Junket is something easily found in stores here in the Netherlands. If this is not the case for you, you can easily replace it with thick greek yoghurt. Whether you use greek yogurt or junket, your carrot cake will be delicious.

Instructions

Cake:

Mix together the flours, zest and spices in a mixing bowl. Carefully separate your two egg whites and egg yolks into two bowls. Beat the egg whites until fluffy; if you can turn your mixing bowl upside down without it dropping out, it has the right consistency. I used the kitchen aid mixer, but a hand mixer works, too.

In the bigger bowl, mix the egg yolks and 1 whole egg together with the brown sugar. After mixing for 1-2 minutes, you will add the olive oil until combined for around 1-2 minutes. Then, add your flour mixture. After the flour is combined with the egg yolk, stir in the graded carrots. Slowly fold the egg whites into the carrot mixture, making sure you keep the air in the egg whites. 

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake until golden brown and/or a tooth pick comes out clean. 

Candied carrots:

While the cake is baking in the oven, start to prepare your candied carrots. Cook the sugar, orange juice and graded carrot until soft and sweet. Place the candied carrots on a piece of paper towel to drain the extra liquid.

Frosting:

The frosting is made by combining the junket, orange zest, lemon zest and cream cheese.

When your carrot cake is done, take out of the oven and let it fully cool before frosting and topping with the candied carrot peels. A cooling rack is the easiest way to cool down your cake before frosting. I used this one.

Once the carrot cake is fully cooled, add your frosting and feel free to play with it to make a nice design on top of the cake. Before serving, add your candied carrots and enjoy with a warm cup of tea or coffee. If you want to serve this as part of High Tea you can also make this easy, delicious pound cake on my blog.

 

While skiing with my family in Austria we had a delicious Goulash soup. It was such a delicious combination of herbs and filling that I was still craving this soup when I got home. So I got to work trying to replicate the soup, and I have to say this recipe is very close to the original.

This goulash soup is rich, full of meat and vegetables. Every bite is so full of flavor! I think it could make a complete lunch or dinner but it is best when consumed with some bread; we combined it with my sourdough bread. You can find the recipe for my sourdough bread here.

Skiing as a family is something we have always loved doing. We lived in America for 11 years. In California we loved to go to Lake Tahoe with its beautiful views over the lake. When we moved to Pennsylvania we traveled up to the mountains of Vermont and had a blast there too. After moving back to the Netherlands we planned our first family ski trip to Austria. We were there during Christmas with my husband’s brother, his sister-in-law and their kids. Growing up my family often went skiing in Austria, so being back there felt so familiar. We had beautiful ski holidays in the USA, but Austria feels like home to me. The slopes were gorgeous and we could ski from one delicious restaurant to another eating all the foods we had been missing. Nothing beats a good filling soup for lunch after spending the morning in the cold on skis. Paired with some homemade sourdough this goulash soup hits the spot for sure.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes: pureed with flour and some garlic this is the base for the soup. 
• Ground beef: I choose ground beef for this recipe. Most soups call for diced meat, but that can turn out dry and tough so I prefer ground meat.
• Bacon: gives the soup an extra salty flavor.
• Caraway seed: also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin. It is highly aromatic and has a distinctive mild anise flavor.
• Paprika powder: dried and ground red peppers.
• Garlic: I used fresh minced garlic.
• Vegetables: onions, bell peppers and potatoes. 
• Flour: to thicken the soup.
• Beef broth: The base is the tomato base with the beef broth.
• Bay Leaf: I used dry bay leaves.

Preparations:

Start with cutting up all the ingredients. Next we will make the tomato base. Start by frying the shallot and when it is soft add in the tomatoes and fry till softened. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Next add in the tomato paste, stir and add 2 tablespoons of flour continuing to stir for a bit. Finally add in one cup of broth. Put this into a blender and combine till smooth. Set aside for now. 

In the same pan, add some oil and fry the bacon to a crisp. I like to use this Le Creuset cast iron Dutch oven pan. Then add in the ground beef and spices, breaking it up until the meat is cooked through. To the meat mixture add in 2 tablespoons of flour, or more if a thicker soup is preferred. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Then add in all the vegetables, tomato base and the rest of the broth to the meat mixture. Finally, add the bay leaves and let it simmer for 1 hour. 

This creamy cauliflower soup not only gets its creaminess from the main ingredient of cauliflower but also from the addition of potatoes. They give it the extra body to the soup. The heavy whipping cream in the end is the perfect finishing touch.

Cauliflower is not only a good source of vitamin C and K, it is also an excellent source of fiber, folate and vitamin B6.

Our family loves a good soup for dinner. My kids request soup based on its color instead of the ingredients. For example, the “green soup” is a huge favorite of my kids. You can find the recipe here.  Even though it is white, this creamy cauliflower soup is a close second choice in my house. Both soups are quick and easy to make. Also have a tomato soup on my site here.

Preparation:

Most cauliflower soup recipes will have you roast your cauliflower as a first step. My recipe skips this and the end result is just as yummy. I was in a time crunch one day, so I opted to skip the roasting, and the end results didn’t disappoint at all! For my recipe, begin by melting butter in a pan, and cook your shallot till it is soft and browning. Next, add in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. Finally, add your cauliflower and herbs and cook for couple of minutes. 

 After you have cooked your cauliflower for around 5 minutes, add your broth. I have chosen to use bone broth for its nutritional benefits. You can also use vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian. Bring the soup to a boil, and then lower the heat and let it simmer until the vegetables are soft. This should take around 15-20 minutes.

After the vegetables are tender, use a hand blender to mix the soup until nice and smooth. I use this kitchen aid hand blender. Taste your soup and add some heavy whipping cream and lemon juice to your desired taste before blending again. One final taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper. If not serve it hot and enjoy this delicious creamy cauliflower soup with some toasted bread. Delicious for lunch, or an appetizer at dinner.