Carrot Cake Cupcake!

I have a thing for food that comes in a small package. 

I guess it's just the cute factor. Mini pies, mini tarts (tartelettes sound even cuter), mini cakes, mini lasagnas...If I can make a baby version of something, I'd make it! That's not exactly why I made this dessert though, which is essentially carrot cake in cupcake form. Nope. I had a whole different reason.

In fact, I almost always have the same reason for cooking something: my mood. While other women show their change of mood through their choice of skirts or pants, mine translates to what gets served on the dinner table. I guess that's why my pantry is always well-stocked -- it has to be ready to serve two or three different moods at a time.

When I feel like retrieving to my comfort zone -- whether it's because I'm having exam pressure, or just feeling a little blue, or extremely exhausted -- I reach out for something comforting and warm, like mushroom risotto or chicken porridge. There is the occasional moment when only chocolate will do, in which case I'll turn to a cup of very rich and very dark hot chocolate.

When I feel upbeat, which often coincides with summery weather, I whip up something bright and sunny, like pasta with fresh vegetables. Bright colors and bold flavors will be on the menu, accompanied by a jug of chilled lemonade. 

When I feel excited, or on top of the world (things going well at the work front, perhaps), I strangely go for something spicy or, um, "ethnic". I will intuitively crave something Mexican, or Indonesian, or anything with a bit of a kick (or a lot). If you have an explanation for that, please give me a call! And when I'm, what's the word, going bananas over a guy? Well, that moment calls for a Hainanese chicken rice, complete with all the trimmings. If you're a guy (and not one of my guy friends!), and you find yourself struggling to finish a huge spread of Hainanese chicken rice at my dining table, be very suspicious that I have a huge crush on you. And if there's dessert, be very suspicious. If there's no dessert...I probably am just tired. I'm not that picky ;)

And when I'm having one of those moods -- spectacularly happy, permanent-grin-on-my-face kind of happy, the kind of mood that makes everything look pastel-colored.....The kind of mood that makes you understand La Vie en Rose ("Life in pink? that TOTALLY makes sense").....The kind of mood that makes every romantic comedy enjoyable no matter how much Hollywood has robbed it off its originality.....That calls for something cute, sweet, creamy and pretty. One way or the other it usually involves a guy. Vanilla, butter and sugar are usually in there somewhere. A guy, vanilla, butter and sugar...Can't go wrong with those.

Hence the Carrot Cake Cupcake today. That was my mood showing through.

Not just because I had extra carrots in my fridge.

Carrot Cake Cupcake

Makes 20 cupcakes

Adapted from www.jamieoliver.com

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g light brown soft sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 170g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g chopped nuts (almonds/walnuts/cashews) plus a handful for sprinkling
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
sea salt

for the orange mascarpone icing:
• 100g mascarpone cheese
• 200g cream cheese
• 85g icing sugar, sifted
• zest of 1 large orange

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers. Beat the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one by one, and add the orange zest and juice. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder, and add the ground almonds, nuts, spices and grated carrot and mix together well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold them into the cake mix. Scoop the mixture into the cupcake wrappers and bake for about 20-22 minutes until risen. You can check to see if the cupcakes are cooked by poking a cocktail stick into one. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky, it needs a bit longer, so put it back in the oven. Leave the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

Mix all the icing ingredients together and spread generously over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.

Avocado and Coconut Ice Cream

Do you have any siblings?

Do they remember your birthday every year, and get you a nice present, and a sweet card with a thoughtful birthday message for you?

Do they break their piggy bank and get you an adorable yellow tea set as a housewarming gift because you just moved into a new house all by yourself?

Do they remind you about your mum's or you dad's birthday, because they know you suck at remembering birthdays?

Do they not get angry when you forget their birthday and not get them a present? Do they share their presents with you instead?

Do they make you cupcakes and cookies?

Do they throw you a "Welcome Home" party where they dress up all their dolls, get party hats and balloons because you're coming home for a holiday?

Do they think you're the coolest person in the world ever? Do they introduce you to their little friends precisely because they think you're the coolest there is?

Do they brag about you to their friends?

Do they want to be the first to congratulate you on your birthday, so very badly, that they congratulate you a day early?

Do they say they miss you when you call? Do they ask if you miss them?

Do they worry that you're still single?

Do they tell you as it is, and share their thoughts with you?

If they don't...that's okay, siblings aren't always great that way. But very fortunately for me, mine is. My sister Mezzaya is fantastic. My sister Mezzaya is fantastic because she does all these things. I thought of her when I made this ice cream -- we both love ice cream, and this ice cream is inspired by the drink that we used to order at a small restaurant near our house. I still remember the humid afternoons that we spent there, slurping a bowl of steaming broth and noodles and washing it down with a big glass of sweet avocado "juice".

I think she'll love this ice cream.

It's incredibly quick and easy to put together -- you'll take no more than 20 minutes to assemble it, and then you just have to pop it into the freezer. It does take 3 hours to set, but you don't have to do much during this time period. You only need to take it out of the freezer every 30 minutes and whisk it briefly to make sure that it stays smooth and creamy, instead of grainy and icy. You can then enjoy a scoop of fragrant and utterly delicious ice cream for as long as it keeps in your freezer. Not a lot of work for a wonderful result! 

Avocado and coconut are my favorites -- I love how creamy, rich and exotic they are. I love how they impart a subtle taste and fragrance to a dish, and how they can make a dish feel luxurious. Combined together, they create a voluptuous and exceptionally creamy ice cream. I also use the classic and well-loved combination of avocado and condensed milk here. In Indonesia, these two go together like salt and pepper. Avocado and condensed milk smoothie is available in most restaurants -- thick, smooth pureed avocado whipped with vanilla or chocolate condensed milk. Just imagining this drink in ice cream form makes me swoon! If you're an avocado lover, this is as good as it gets (Well, this and a bowl of kick-ass, freshly made guacamole!).

Please don't be afraid of making ice cream without an ice cream maker. People have been doing this for ages, and you can too! All you need are a blender or food processor, and a whisk, a spatula or a handheld mixer. If you follow my tips closely, you should end up with a beautiful pale jade and luscious ice cream.

Avocado and Coconut Ice Cream
Makes about 12 scoops

2 large or 3 medium ripe avocados
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup or 50 gr granulated sugar
3/4 can condensed milk
1 can or 375 ml thick coconut milk, chilled in the fridge

Do not skimp on the sugar or coconut milk -- sugar and fat help prevent the ice cream from being icy and grainy. Sugar and fat do not freeze or crystallize, and so adding the right amount to your ice cream is essential for the desired result. You can reduce the amount of sugar and condensed milk if you want to watch your sugar intake, but your ice cream won't be as creamy. My advice would be to follow the recipe and limit your consumption of the ice cream instead. A small scoop of the real deal is often better and more enjoyable than a lot of the fake stuff!

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and place in the blender or food processor. Add the lemon juice and sugar; blitz until smooth.

Shake well the can of coconut milk, pour the content into the blender. Pour in the condensed milk as well. Blitz again until everything is mixed together. Don't worry if the ice cream seems too sweet at this stage, or if the coconut seems to overpower the avocado. By the time the ice cream is set, the sweetness and the coconut taste will be reduced , and the dominant taste will be the avocado.

Pour into a plastic or metal container and place in the freezer. Make sure your freezer is not overcrowded, or your ice cream will take longer to set. After 30 minutes, take the container out of the freezer and mix the ice cream with a whisk, a spatula or a handheld mixer thoroughly. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the container -- ice crystals are likely to form on the sides and you want to whisk these too to prevent an icy ice cream. Place the container back in the freezer.

Do this every 30 minutes for the next 2-4 hours, or until the ice cream is set. Scoop out and serve.