CARROT CUPCAKE

Hello! I've been craving carrot cake for a little while now ***two days!*** :), lol, ok, but you can understand if you've enjoyed moist carrot cake; how everything caramelizes with the brown sugar and... ***foodie alert, earth to Elizabeth*** :). I made this cheese frosting a little light so it could go smoothly with every bite...of course Skyler got the frosting slathered all over her face....and i'm happy to say we both got our veggies for the day ***wink wink*** have a lovely day!

Carrot cake recipe:

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence, 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Cream cheese frosting:

 

• 1 teaspoon of milk
• 1/2 cup cream cheese

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

 

Directions:

• Put oven on
• Mix the brown sugar, olive oil and yoghurt for a minute on quick speed with your mixer

 

 

• Add eggs one by one, beating after each egg added

• Add the vanilla extract

• Mix all your dry ingredients, flour baking soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt together

 

 

• Fold the dry ingredients into the mix of sugar, oil and yoghurt

• Fold in carrots, do not over mix, you want a nice non chewy moist texture. Bake for 15-17mins, insert skewer to be sure.

 

 

For the frosting:

 

• Beat the cream cheese and butter until properly blended together

 

• Sift your 2 cups of Icing sugar into the cream cheese and butter mix

• Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• and a pinch of salt, chill in freezer for about 15mins
• When cupcakes are cool, slather the cakes with the cheese frosting, sprinkle some carrots and dig in! Mwah!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT ME

Hello

My name is Elizabeth, I love cooking, baking and sewing, I have an adorable 5 year old, with her, life is much sweeter. I live in upbeat cosmopolitan Lagos, a city rich in colors and culture, constantly fueling my creativity. Pans and Ribbons is an absolute passion of mine, from trying new recipes to projects on pretty dresses. Ekabo! (welcome in Yoruba).

YAM CHIPS WITH EGG SAUCE AND ICE COFFEE

Hello lovely people, woke up today in pain from Billy Blanks ultimate boot camp work out dvd and decided I deserved a treat ***smiling sheepishly***
So I've got the craving for yam chips, really slender, that's the only way I can ever get Skyler to eat yam and some egg sauce with little bits of left over bacon bits from my buttermilk pancake, honey and bacon bits breakfast. Let's carry on then;

For yam chips:

• 5 slices of yam

• 2 cups of veg oil
• 5 small tomatoes, 2 small peppers and half an onion

• 3 eggs

• some bacon

• Ok, chop up your yam into slim strips

 

 

• Put your oil in the pan, let it heat up, you'll know it's hot enough when you drop some yam in it and it bubbles a bit.

 

• Add a tablespoon of water after 5minutes of frying the yam then turn over, it's actually easier in a deep fryer

• Fry for 5-8minutes and put the yam chips in the strainer, sprinkle salt or black pepper or both(season as you please:) )

• For the eggs, chop up the peppers, onions, tomatoes and bacon.

• Put two tablespoons of vegetable or soya oil in a pan, let it heat up a bit, throw in the onions, toss it around in the pan for a minute...

• add the tomatoes and peppers

• add a pinch or two of  salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of Cajun spice. Let it all caramelize into something like this...

 

 

• Pour in the beaten eggs, add the bacon bits and voila, bon apetit!

 

 

 

 

 

For Ice coffee:

 

• instant coffee
• sugar
• milk
• ice

 

 

 

• Put the instant coffee, sugar and milk in a cup, add a little bit of water, put in a shaker, shake it up a bit or if you have a frotter, you can use that, pour in a glass, add your ice, top up with cold water, stir and enjoy. Sometimes I like to alternate the whole milk with skimmed milk and the sugar with honey, super refreshing! :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOIST BROWNIES WITH FUDGY TOPPING AND FLAKED ALMONDS

Hello! Hope you're having a good day? Well I am and the little one knows the best time to make a request :). First off, I'm a sweet tooth, I really have to discipline myself to keep the hips in check but skyler requested brownies plus she's been such a sweetheart and the long holiday is almost over, "thank God". I decided, "why not?", here's my moist brownies covered with fudgy topping and flaked almonds.

For brownies:

• 1/2 cup margarine, 1/4 cup butter

• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate

• 1 cup of flour

• 4 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 cups soft brown sugar

 

 

 

For fudgy topping:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chocolate(milk)
• 1 tablespoon cream
• flaked almonds

 

 

 

• Put your gas mark to number 4 or 180oC or 350oF. Toast your almonds, set aside

• Put the butter and cocoa powder and dark chocolate in a pan, let it melt(not totally), add the brown sugar, it'll look something like that....

 

 

 

 

 

• Add the flour,

• stir it in...

• Prepare your baking pan, I usually butter/margarine it up, sprinkle some flour all over it, shake it up a bit till there's an even coat of flour all over the pan, that is in the absence of parchment paper

• Stir the almonds into the brownie mix, pour into pan and bake, check it after 20mins to be quite sure it's baked properly, insert a skewer, if it comes out clean, then it's all done.

 

 

 

 

 

• Leave it to cool in the pan for 20mins then turn it out unto a wire rack.

 

• While it's cooling, get a little pot, put some water in it, get a bowl, stainless steel or anything that won't melt or break, it is imperative you do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water, you need the steam only, put the chocolate, butter and cream in the bowl and let it all melt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cover the cooled cake with the fudgy topping, sprinkle flaked almonds and there you have it :). Have a super day!