Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot - The Cupcake Version

In my original post of this recipe, I wrote that the orange zest was (optional). 

It isn't really. 

Now, I have a friend who would walk away from this cake - yes, walk away from a dark chocolate carrot cake with a cheesecake swirl! - if she heard that there was orange zest in it. 

But, as long as citrus is not your nemesis, I strongly encourage you to include it in this recipe. 

There's just something about the combination of dark chocolate and orange that titivates the tongue; not to mention how sublimely it combines with the cheese cake component in this mix. 

Convinced? Yes!

So, obviously now you want to make this Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake, but perhaps the Bundt cake version is a little intimidating.
No problem: It converts perfectly into cupcakes!

Here's how:

Follow the recipe for the Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake, but forget the Bundt pan. 

Instead, prepare 2 x 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake cases (preferably the slightly larger "American" muffin cases).

Use a 30ml measuring cup (1/8th cup measure)*, to place chocolate carrot cake batter into the bottom of the cupcake case. 

Top with a scoop* of the cheesecake mix; followed by another scoop of the chocolate carrot cake batter.

*Ideally, use two separate 30ml measuring cups for this.
*Not all muffin trays are created equal - there's a range of "standard" sizes. I used my larger ones for these cupcakes, ( they're large but not giant muffin tins.)
*You only want to fill the muffin case approx 2/3 full in total with all three layers, so do one and then judge the rest of your scoops accordingly. 

Bake at 175'C for approx. 30 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. 

Allow to cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin and placing on a rack to cool completely. 

If you want to simplify and omit the cheesecake part of this recipe, the dark chocolate carrot cake is great just on its own. But don't leave out the orange zest 😉
Dust with icing sugar before serving, or - if you have omitted the cheesecake layer, try them with a swirl of cream cheese icing.

Enjoy!

xxM

Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake

Ever have one of those days where you can't decide between carrot cake, cheese cake or chocolate cake?
Well, why choose one when you can have them all?!

I made this "Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake" for the Lancewood Cake-off competition, and I want to thank everyone who went across and voted for it.
 It was one of those competitions, though, where you had to go campaigning for votes, which is so not me. (Clearly no political careers in my future!)
I do think, however, that if it had been up to taste, this cake would certainly have been up there with the winners 😉

Unlike most of my current recipe posts, this one uses cup measures, because I took the "use Lancewood products " message to heart, and not only used the contents of the cream cheese tub, but the tub itself! 

Bonus points! ... or not 🙈

SO, anyhoo - the tub is a substitute cup measure. 

Cheesecake Swirled Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

Pre-heat the oven to 175'C
Grease a large Bundt cake pan

Ingredients:

Cheesecake swirl -
1 ½ tubs  medium fat plain cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup caster sugar
1 large free range egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake -
2 cups cake flour
2 cups caster sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt

1 cup canola oil
½ cup buttermilk
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrot
zest from 1 orange  (optional)
½ cup boiling water

Method:
Cheesecake Swirl -

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat until soft. Add the remaining swirl ingredients and beat until smooth. Set aside.


Dark Chocolate Carrot Cake -

Using the tub as a cup measure, measure out and sift together the dry ingredients.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.

Crack both eggs into the empty tub, put on the lid and shake - lightly beaten eggs!
Top up the tub containing the eggs with buttermilk.
Pour the eggs and buttermilk mix into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
Measure out a tubful of canola oil, and pour that into the well, followed by the vanilla extract and the tubful of grated carrots, and orange zest, if using.
Briefly mix the ingredients together before stirring in the boiling water. Mix well.

Spread half the chocolate carrot cake batter into the bottom of a large, greased Bundt pan.
Pour and spread the cheesecake swirl mixture over the cake batter; followed by the remaining cake batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175'C fot 70-80 min. (This cake will take a while to bake because it is large and moist. Cover the top of the cake loosely with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly). It is done when a wooden cocktail stick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Once done, remove from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before turning the cake out from the tin.

Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

Yes, it's a lot of ingredients and a bit of effort, but it isn't a difficult cake to make. 

And it certainly is worth it!

I'll be posting tips on a cupcake version soon. 

Happy baking!

xxM

Toadstool Fairy and Modelling Pastes

When I first started modelling fondant figurines, I remember being so proud of my creations, but looking back they weren't very good at all! I even made some dodgy tutorials🙈

 (No, please - that is not a cue to go back and look up anything I posted before 2014!)

 Back then, I used a modelling paste made from adding tylose / CMC powder to fondant, which is a very quick and easy way to get a firmer paste (1 tsp powder kneaded into 250g fondant). 

While that works, it doesn't have the flexibility of the modelling chocolate /fondant blend which has become my preferred modelling medium. 

         

Modelling chocolate/ fondant blend - is a 1:1 ratio of fondant and modelling chocolate. 

 i.e. if I have 100g fondant, I'll add 100g modelling chocolate to that to make the blend. 

To create a firmer, drier paste (especially useful in high humidity months) I also add CMC / Tylose paste to the mix. It has to be the paste, not simply the powder because the powder when added to a modelling chocolate blend, doesn't seem to be as effective as it is when added to plain fondant. 

What amount of CMC paste do I add? About 25% of the weight of the blend. 

100g fondant and 100g modelling chocolate (200g together) will need about 50g tylose paste. But you can play around with those ratios depending on your requirements. 

I avoid having to separate eggs, wherever possible and always have meringue powder available for making royal icing. So this is my recipe for CMC /tylose paste using meringue powder (locally called Actiwhite) instead of fresh egg white. And it uses an electric mixer... because getting my hands sticky is also something I prefer to avoid!

 CMC  / Tylose Paste with Meringue Powder

80ml water
3 tbs meringue powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbs CMC powder
500g icing sugar + extra
1 tbs Holsum / Crisco (white vegetable fat)

Whisk the meringue powder in the water to form a paste.
Add in the cream of tartar and 2 cups of the icing sugar. Use the paddle attachment of your mixer to beat on low.
Add in the CMC powder and another 2 cups of icing sugar. Mix well.
You might want to change over to the dough hook at this stage, as the paste begins to firm up.
Mix well on low speed. If the paste is clumping, take out of the mixing bowl, and knead until it comes together.
The paste should not feel sticky and moist. If it does, knead more icing sugar into it.

You can halve the ingredients for a smaller batch of paste. Just be careful to measure out your water volume correctly - a little too much water, and you'll be struggling to reach a final dry paste consistency. I usually weigh the water for this recipe - 80ml water = 80g.  

Happy modelling!

xxM