My carrot cake...

It has been a while since I pen down my thoughts here.  I have been pretty busy with my "crazy" work. Things has been rather out of control, not only affecting myself but the whole team itself  a lot of changes are hitting us as I'm writing this. Our WW VP and Regional VP have changed. It's just a matter of time when it finally hit us who is in the working level. Anyways, I'll have another separate posting on this. Now I would like to talk about my first successful masterpiece.

I attended a baking class in Jun, that's where I learnt how to make Carrot cake, Chocolate Larva cake and Oatmeal cookie. Among the 3, personally I prefer carrot cake coz it is the closest to Fruit cake. Yes, I lovessss fruit cake, especially those with a bit of rum and tons of fruits and nuts. Anyways, my first attempt was during mid of Jun when I went back to my hometown to celebrate Father's Day. I made a couple of mistakes as below:

1. I wanted to get orange but I got grapefruit instead. Bummer right???

2. I didn't have time to get mixed fruits and raisins, so the only fruity stuff I put in was cranberry, which its not fruity enough

3. The walnut that I bought was of low quality, hence the heavy smell of oil (not too sure how to describe it)

With the above hiccups, I did manage to craft out a lower-than-average-but-edible carrot cake for my family. At least my brother likes it....:) See for yourself.

1st attempt: Virgin Carrot Cake.....

Well, this week was my second attempt. I made sure I get orange, good quality nuts and tons of sweet raisins and mixed dry fruits. Since it was a holiday on Tuesday (15-Jul), I tried to bake the cake again. It took me 2 - 3 hours to make that cake. But I was quite satisfied with the results. I let a few people try and this is what they commented:

RC and bf: The texture is a bit too moist but acceptable. Taste is pretty fruity and flavorful, however I can still add on more sweetness if I like. The only drawback lies in the frosting. The cream cheese frosting is a bit too strong and it has a strong taste of oil.

AK: Taste like fruit cake. This attempt is much nicer than the first one. Love it !!

Mariah: The texture is delicate, light and moist. It has a very fruity and nutty taste with cranberries, raisins, walnut and almond nuts inside. The layer of cheese is just right, not too overwhelming but managed to gives a creamy smooth flavor to the overall cake. 

My personal opinion: I am quite happy this the result. I like the rich flavor of mixed fruits with raisins and nuts. To top it up, orange zest and a small cup of hand squeeze orange juice just took the whole fruity taste to the next level. Best of all, I think the texture is moist enough but I could make it better....next time *wide smile*

2nd attempt: a more presentable result

Complimentary photo by Mariah.....Thanks for the artistic look....