often referred to as passion cake …
The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange color from β-carotene, which is metabolized into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, and minerals.
It was in the 60s when the carrot cake first appeared on the modern culinary landscape. Apparently the Swedish had carrot cakes as far back as the medieval ages. For me it is comfort food. I do not like it with icing or cream or any of that stuff. Just good old fashioned cake. My carrot cake is baked in porcelain molds. Just like my Kuglhopf.
Now Hare This
Oh the carrots that bloom in the spring time
I’d rather have carrots than fish
Or pheasants or fowl or even an owl
In fact they are my favorite dish.
(McKimson-1958)
This particular recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil and some black olives. For the olive oil you will have to do some research. You will need a low acidity olive oil. The spanish oils are particularly suited for this, because they seem to be a bit sweeter than others. Taste the oil if you can before buying. I used local Lebanese unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from SAIFAN.
For the black olives same applies. Taste before you use them. You do not want them to overpower your cake, just add flavor to it.
Carrot cake with olive oil and black olives
120g dark brown sugar
120g extra virgin olive oil
4 medium sized eggs
200g grated carrots
25g pitted black olives
20g raisins
20g broken walnuts
1 orange (zest and juice
120g all purpose flour
3g baking powder
3g cinnamon powder
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch fleur de sel
½ vanilla pod
Preparation:
– Preheat your oven to 180 C
– Line your baking mold with bake proof paper
– Clean the carrots and grate on your box grater on the coarse side into a large bowl
– To the carrots add the pitted olives cut into quarters
– Add the raisins
– Check the walnuts to make sure no pieces of shell are hidden and brake each walnut half into quarters (I do not chop walnuts since the fine bits and pieces created during chopping make the cake more bitter) than necessary)
– Zest the orange and add to the carrots and squeeze the juice and set aside
– Cut the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the soft center and mix with the carrots
– Mix all the dry ingredients ( flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and fleur de sel, and sift into a bowl
– Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whip until creamy
– Add the olive oil and sugar to the carrots
– Stir with a large spoon until incorporated
– Add the creamed eggs
– Stir carefully until proper mixed
– Carefully fold in the flour into the carrot mixture
– Pour the cake batter into the paper lined mold and place into the pre-heated oven on the upper middle rack
– Bake for about 45 min at 180C_ Check with a toothpick to make sure the cake is baked all the way trough
– When baked, remove from the oven and let cool until only warm to the touch
– Remove onto a serving plate and let cool completely