Carrot loaf cake with orange cream cheese/ cottage icing

Carrot loaf cake topped with orange cream

Ingredients:

For the carrot cake

  • 140ml , vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 200g light brown sugar
  • 300g grated carrot (grated weight)
  • 100g raisins
  • 75g pecans or walnuts chopped
  • 180g self raising flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp mixed spices

For the orange cream cheese icing

  • 150g cream cheese chilled (see recipe tips)
  • 150 cottage cheese (or 50 gram butter)
  • 1 tsp vanille extract
  • 50g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 orange, zest only

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Oil and line a 900g loaf tin (approximately 13x23cm) with baking paper.
  2. For the carrot cake, beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts.
  3. Sift in the remaining cake ingredients and mix using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
  5. For the icing, beat the cream cheese and cottage cheese together in a bowl until well combined (take care not to overbeat, stop as soon as the ingredients are combined). Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and orange zest and mix until the icing is smooth.
  • Using a palette knife, spread the icing evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out. Cut into slices to serve.

by Bernadette Evers

Chewy pecan cookies

Chewy pecan cookies

Ingredients

  • 140 g melted butter
  • 180 g dark brown sugar
  • 30 g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 extra egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 190 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 150 g pecans (lightly toasted, roughly chopped)
  • Optional: 100 g dark chocolate chunks

 Preparing

  1. In a bowl, mix the melted butter with both sugars (do not whip).
  2. Add the egg, extra yolk, and vanilla extract; stir until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix briefly (do not overmix).
  5. Fold in the pecans (and chocolate, if using).
  6. Chill the dough for 30–60 minutes (important!).
  7. Scoop into large balls (about golf ball size).
  8. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 9–11 minutes
    → edges golden, centers still soft
  9. Let cool on the baking sheet (they will continue to set).

Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt on top right after baking, it really enhances the pecan flavor.

 

Chewey pecan cookies

Ingrediënten

  • 150 g zachte boter
  • 150 g bruine basterdsuiker
  • 50 g kristalsuiker
  • 1 ei
  • 1 tl vanille-extract
  • 200 g bloem
  • ½ tl bakpoeder
  • snuf zout
  • 150 g pecannoten (grof gehakt)
  • optioneel: 100 g pure chocolade (stukjes)

👩‍🍳 Bereiding

  1. Oven voorverwarmen op 180°C (boven-/onderwarmte).
  2. Klop de boter met beide suikers romig.
  3. Voeg het ei en vanille toe en meng goed.
  4. Meng in een andere kom bloem, bakpoeder en zout.
  5. Voeg dit toe aan het botermengsel en roer tot een deeg.
  6. Spatel de pecannoten (en eventueel chocolade) erdoor.
  7. Maak bolletjes van het deeg en leg ze op een bakplaat met bakpapier.
  8. Druk ze licht plat.
  9. Bak 10–12 minuten tot ze goudbruin zijn.
  10. Laat afkoelen op een rooster (ze worden nog steviger).

by Bernadette Evers

Bulgur Salad with Roasted Carrot and Tenderstem Broccoli

Enjoy a relaxed Sunday and end it with a healthy and exciting salad, sipping a glass of wine and watching the sun slowly dip into the horizon.

English

serves 2

Ingredients
200g bulgur wheat
2 carrots
300g tenderstem broccoli
1 bunch mint
75g pecan nuts
1 lime
5 tablespoons pomegranate syrup
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat an oven to 200°C. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Peel the carrot and finely slice diagonally. Cut the hard stalk ends off the broccoli.

Place the carrot and broccoli, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper in a roasting dish and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Place the bulgur in the pan of boiling water and simmer until cooked, about 10-12 minutes. Drain off the water from the bulgur.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast the pecan nuts until golden. Pick the mint leaves and finely slice into thin strips.

Roughly chop the pecan nuts. Mix the roasted vegetables with half the mint and lime juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the salad on to a plate, sprinkle over the remaining mint and pecan nuts and drizzle the pomegranate syrup over.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
200gr bulgur
2 wortelen
300gr bimi
1 bosje munt
75 gr pecannoten
1 limoen
5 eetlepels granaatappelsiroop
4 eetlepels o lijfolie
zouten peper

Bereiding
Warm de oven voor op 200 C. Breng een pannetje water met zout aan de kook. Schil de wortel en snijd in dunne schuine plakjes. Snijd de harde uiteinden van de bimi af.

Doe de wortel samen met de bimi, 3 eetlepels olijfolie, zout en peper in een ovenschaaltje, rooster in de oven voor 15 minuten.

Doe de bulgur in het pannetje met kokend water en kook gaar in ongeveer 10-12 minuten. Giet water af van de bulgur af.

Verwarm een koekenpan op medium vuur met 1 eetlepel olijfolie, rooster hierin de pecannoten goudbruin. Pluk de blaadjes van de munt en hak fijn in dunne reepjes.

Hak de pecannoten grof. Meng de geroosterde groenten door de bulgur met de helft van de munt en sap van limoen naar smaak, zout en peper. Schep de salade op het bord, bestrooi met de resterende munt en pecannoten, drizzel er granaatappelsiroop overheen.

by Bernadette Evers