"Let them eat cake". These words are famously (and falsely, according to scholars) attributed to Marie Antoinette when she was told that the peasants of France did not have bread to eat.
Well. I'm not starving, but I am pretty ghetto. Such is the state of the world today, when even the poor can eat cake. Carrot cake, specifically. Perhaps if Marie Antoinette were alive today her words would only have been a political gaffe and not so guillotine worthy.
Before we begin, I should clarify that there are actually two items involved in this installment, the cake and the sauce (dulce de leche). The cake requires about half an hour of prep time and an hour to bake. The sauce, while not very difficult, takes approximately three hours of total time to make. Plan accordingly.
Ingredients
Some cakes are lies, but not all lies are cakes.
Cake (for a small pot. Double everything for a 9x13 cake pan):
*You don't actually need a sock specifically. Clarified instructions below.
Cooking
Part 1: Dulce de Leche
Let's start by making dulce de leche, which takes a long time. Dulce de leche is basically made by boiling a can of condensed milk for two hours until the sugars caramelize. You will need a pot deep enough to completely contain the can while it is completely submerged in water. You will also need some form of padding between the can's metal surfaces and the pot surface, as direct contact for long periods of time can cause your pot to rust.
Cue MacGuyver music
An old sock is my solution, as it completely covers the can and allows me to cook the can horizontally, lowering the height requirement for the pot. Stick your can into the sock and tuck the excess underneath. Place this contraption into the pot and submerge completely in water.
You can just put a sock in it.
The submersion is important because it helps equalize the pressure inside the can. If you just heat the can without submerging it, the can may explode, cause injury, and most importantly, possibly lower the reader count on my blog. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat low, and simmer the can for two hours. You should check every 20 minutes and replenish any evaporated water.
The Bau$$ of Sau$$es
Dump the contents out of the can into a bowl or container, and stir in enough milk or water to create a smooth, creamy caramel sauce.
Part 2: Cake
Start by shredding your carrots, either with a shredder, a knife, or a food processor. You will need about three medium-large carrots to create the amount of shredded carrots necessary.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Combine all the dry ingredients together: flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder. Crack the two eggs into the dry mix and stir vigorously until almost all the flour is incorporated. Add the oil and vanilla and stir to make a thick homogenous batter. The egg yolk is the emulsifier that allows the oil to combine smoothly with everything else. Add the shredded carrots.
You ever wonder who was the first person to look at a carrot and think about how it could be worked into a cake?
Grease the bottom of the pot or pan that you are going to use. Pour the batter into the pot/pan and bake for roughly 45-60 minutes, or until a knife stuck into the cake comes out clean.
What niche craving do you think the carrot cake was meant to satisfy? All the millions of people in the world who desperately searched for a way to get their vitamin A and diabetes at the same time?
Let the cake sit for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Pour warm dulce de leche over cake slices, serve.
The Result
Who needs bread when you have cake
4.5 / 5 The cake itself is pretty good. Aromatic, moist, though not quite dense enough for my tastes. But dulce de leche, it makes everything amazing. I almost choked myself stuffing my face full of that caramel drenched cake. You can dip everything from pretzels to fruit in that stuff. Try it over a weekend when you have some time. You won't be disappointed.
Conclusion
These types of cake are really quite easy to make. I think the real challenge in cakes is in matching the appropriate type of cake with the appropriate type of cream or icing, and in the physical appearance of the cake. Hopefully I can progress onto more elaborate creations in the future.
Questions and comments are welcome as always. I'm currently in the process of experimenting with various camera settings to produce better looking photos. Sorry of they continue to suck, I'll definitely be improving over the future installments. If cake isn't your thing, check out the archives, there may be something else that's right up your cake-hating alley!
However, I wouldn't recommend to prepare the dulce de leche by boiling the can, as most cans are lined with a plastic coating that contains BPA, and boiling the can should further increase the amount of BPA that goes into the food. Obviously if you are using cans without plastic coating, you can ignore this comment.
"BPA is controversial because it exerts weak but detectable hormone-like properties, raising concerns about its presence in consumer products. Starting in 2008, several governments questioned its safety, prompting some retailers to withdraw polycarbonate products. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children.In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. In the European Union and Canada, BPA use is banned in baby bottles."
Very enjoyable and delicious! Nice work I approve of sock. I tend to like my carrot cake with raisins in it and cream cheese frosting; I will have to try dulce de leche, which admittedly probably could go on anything.
Some cakes are lies, but not all lies are cakes.
hahaha, other captions were good too.
These types of cake are really quite easy to make. I think the real challenge in cakes is in matching the appropriate type of cake with the appropriate type of cream or icing, and in the physical appearance of the cake. Hopefully I can progress onto more elaborate creations in the future.
Truly mastering certain styles of cakes to consistently achieve the right texture is hard! You should pursue your talent and show us more pictures that prompt stomach growling.
On February 03 2012 15:21 Sinensis wrote: I would have never guessed that simmering any closed container for two hours would make anything other than shrapnel?
This is covered in the recipe. You must completely submerge the can in water so that the pressure is equalized between inside and outside of the can. This prevents any possibility of explosion. The can will only explode if you heat it dry.
Dear god I hope you read this before you go trying to make the thing.
On February 03 2012 15:21 Sinensis wrote: I would have never guessed that simmering any closed container for two hours would make anything other than shrapnel?
This is covered in the recipe. You must completely submerge the can in water so that the pressure is equalized between inside and outside of the can. This prevents any possibility of explosion. The can will only explode if you heat it dry.
Dear god I hope you read this before you go trying to make the thing.
Hm, I would say, with 99% confidence, that the submersion is to keep the can at exactly 100C (the boiling point of water) and not go above it as well as dispersing the heat evenly. If one goes above 100 degrees Celsius then steam pressure builds up within the Can. It has nothing to do with equalization of pressure, it is just avoiding the can to go over the boiling point.
As endy said, many cans have plastic synthetic liners and boiling the whole can may cause a reaction with the material.
Despite that, usually the way to make it is by simmering milk and sugar on low heat for a long time while constantly stirring it. (I want to say Alton Brown did this on an episode of Good Eats?) Until I looked in Wikipedia just now I've never heard of this can boiling method. IMO, cooking should never include the usage of clothing items as cookware.
As endy said, many cans have plastic synthetic liners and boiling the whole can may cause a reaction with the material.
Despite that, usually the way to make it is by simmering milk and sugar on low heat for a long time while constantly stirring it. (I want to say Alton Brown did this on an episode of Good Eats?) Until I looked in Wikipedia just now I've never heard of this can boiling method. IMO, cooking should never include the usage of clothing items as cookware.
Hmm I wasn't aware of this plastic synthetic liners thing. Wikipedia had a lot to say about it. This will probably be the first and last time I make dulce de leche, since simmering milk and constantly having to stir for two hours is a bit ridiculous.
The clothing items as cookware thing though... the clothing item never comes in direct contact with the food. I personally don't believe in any limitation as to what objects can be used to help cook food as long as it is done in a safe manner. Improvisation is a major part in home cooking when you don't have access to the huge amount of ingredients and tools that a professional kitchen has. Chefs are known to use aluminum-wrapped bricks to press down on grilled sandwiches. Cheese cloth is a specific type of cloth with many food-related applications. Even blow torches have a use in making creme brulee and the like. And since you watch Good Eats, maybe you've seen the episode where Alton recommends using guitar string to slice cheese?
you didn't mention that the condensed milk you used is sweetened, does that make a big difference? Edit:Also thanks for the great recipe =3 I'm planning on cooking quite a bit of these with some friends for fun perhaps I'll add pictures
On February 06 2012 05:21 Dacendoran wrote: you didn't mention that the condensed milk you used is sweetened, does that make a big difference? Edit:Also thanks for the great recipe =3 I'm planning on cooking quite a bit of these with some friends for fun perhaps I'll add pictures
I think you should use sweetened condensed milk. I couldn't find unsweetened in my nearest grocery store at all, and according to wikipedia unsweetened is not that common in the United States.
Otherwise, you can make your own condensed milk by mixing evaporated milk with sugar in a pan, although turning condensed milk into dulce de leche using a pan can be rather tedious.
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