It’s been a long and hard few weeks for me trying to sort out personal issues. With all- rather almost- sorted, I feel more at ease and more love for things around me, though there are still things crawling inside your head, popping in and out every now and again, persistently holding the position of a constant reminder for whatever it wants me to become or do. If that means a privilege of being human, I’m willing to take it gracefully, further, enjoy it gratefully.

Nobody really mulls over decisions. I think deep down everyone makes decisions instantly, they just spend justifying them.

- quote from French Letters -

However, one thing over which we takes a lot of time to come to a decision is creating an interesting combination for a nice cake. There’s no excuse or justifying for deflated cake or mismatched frosting or the cake that tastes so bad that nobody wants to eat. I’d been trying different variations on traditional carrot cake recipes; I think carrot cake is one of the things that can never go wrong.

<Carrot Mandarin Cupcake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting>

Of all this latest version of my carrot cake seems to deserve a place on my signature recipes list.  Not only did a mandarin match with the colour of a carrot, but also its aroma complemented that of a carrot so beautifully eliminating the characteristics of the root vegetable, adding more of fruitiness and tropical aroma to it. The modified cream cheese frosting with distinctive citrus flavour was a perfect marriage with the cake, and the candied mandarin peels made as an attempt to confirm its unique character and not to let it be underestimated for its affinity with others alike.

I’ve been enjoying oatmeal in my backing, and oatmeal seems to give moist and lightness to baked goods. Because I know how healthy and fresh  my goodies are, nothing can stop me reaching for another, another and another. Nowadays it is so hard to be satisfied with any bought cakes, especially with the unnecessarily and sickly sweet frosting, which puts a lot of people off. The sweetness of my frosting was JUST right.

Carrot Mandarin Cupcakes
makes mini 30 cupcakes or medium 15 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

2-3 medium mandarins
2 cups finely grated carrot
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar or adjust to your sweetness up to 2 cups as the original measurement
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour and 1 cup oatmeal or 3 cups flour
1 or 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup dried currents(optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch of allspice
pinch of ground nutmeg

1. Toast nuts in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the oven, let them cool, then chop coarsely.
3. Peel mandarin skin with a peeler carefully since it’s softer than lemon and hard to peel and puree in a blender or food processor. Measure out 1/2 cup of the liquidy pulp. Save the rest for frosting.
4. Peel, rinse, then grate carrots finely. Add oatmeal in buttermilk
5. In a large bowl, combine mandarin pulp, carrots, eggs, buttermilk&oatmeal, vanilla, sugar, and vegetable oil.
6. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
7. Fold flour mixture into the carrot mixture.
8. Fold in nuts.
9. Scoop out into cupcake papers.
10. Bake at 350 degree oven for ~20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting with Lemon and Mandarin

1 packet of Philly cream cheese
30g butter
2-3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed mandarin juice
zest of 1 lemon

*Double the recipe for more generous frosting

1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.
3. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy.
4. Add half of the sugar and the orange juice. Beat until combined.
5. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

Candied Mandarin Peel

In a sauce pan, add peels, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 water and cook until peels turn translucent. Drain well and roll them on caster sugar. Allow to dry.