I LOVE Cream Cheese Frosting,.  It deserves its own post, and should not be an after thought tacked onto a Carrot Cake or Chocolate Cake recipe.

TBH…it needs its own post because I was today year’s old when I learned how to make a creamy, luscious, LUMP-FREE Cream Cheese Frosting.  Yep, all these years I struggled with how to achieve a smooth and creamy frosting.  I tried having both the cream cheese and the butter at room temp before combining. I tried smooshing the cream cheese first that didn’t work. Sometimes, I resorted to using a hand blender to get rid of lumps which worked but added an extra step.  Then… on an episode of Zoe Bakes, I learned the secret to making lump-free, voluptuous, thick frosting.  Hallelujah.

COLD Cream Cheese Meets SOFTIE Butter

Cream Cheese- Start with cold cream cheese, beat it until it is smooth. Cold cream cheese prevents the frosting from becoming too thin as it is whipped.

Butter- Use unsalted butter at room temperature (~68 degrees).  It should be soft enough to give with a little finger pressure but not melty.  Gradually add softened butter, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time to the cream cheese. Adding soft butter to the cold cream cheese minimizes lumps in your finished frosting.

Powdered Sugar- MY OPINION:  A lot of cream cheese frostings have way too much sugar.  Add powdered sugar to the level of sweetness you want. In general I add about 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar for this recipe.  If I add sour cream or creme fraiche I bump it up a tad to 1-3/4 to a max of 2 cups of powdered sugar.  Add sugar in 2-3 parts beating at medium low speed and scraping the bowl after each addition.  Careful not to beat too much which can cause the frosting to break and become too thin.  If the frosting does seem a little thin, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until it reaches a thick, creamy, consistency before frosting your cake.

Creme Fraiche- A bit of creme fraiche adds a hint of tanginess and creaminess to the frosting.  Feel free to substitute with sour cream or mascarpone.

I put Zoe’s  method to the test by making her Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake .  Worked like a charm and was the perfect celebration dessert for Jamie’s shower.  This being my favorite frosting, it’s also featured in Hubby’s Carrot Cake, Smitten Kitchen’s delightful Carrot Graham Cake, my favorite banana cake from Clementine Bakery and adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, Banana Snacking Cake.  All are absolutely delicious  and highlight Cream Cheese Frosting so well! 

Well it was the Hubster’s birthday a week ago.  I had the nerve to make him a carrot cake for HIS birthday. As many know, his Carrot Cake reigns supreme.  Every birthday we celebrate, it is a given the candles will be on a Wes created Carrot Cake.  Do I get jealous?  Maybe a bit, BUT then,  I don’t have to bake a cake.  It’s a win-win.  Although he probably has had to bake his own birthday cake, guilt got the best of me this year and truth be told, I had been eyeing a luscious looking carrot cake from Smitten Kitchen.  Now was my opportunity to try it.

I am in the minority when it comes to the adds in different carrot cake recipes.  Luckily, my family is unanimous regarding nuts…none, zippo.  We put the kabash on nuts a long time ago.  That goes for coco-NUT too, none.  Wes has experimented over the years and has landed on the family favorite of raisins and pineapple in his recipe.  Being a jealous contrarian, I like his carrot cake but I would LOVE it if it were just a little bit lighter and cakier.  I am in the minority though, my family just looks at me and rolls their eyes…mom being a turd.  Hey I’m entitled to my opinion, especially on my own blog, lol.

So with that, I decided to try Deb’s version of carrot cake. No nuts, no pineapple, no raisins, just carrots and crushed up graham crackers…well, and the usuals, flour, oil (butter), sugar and eggs.  Without further ado, let’s get to it.

This is an easy cake to make.  You con’t need a mixer, just a large mixing bowl and a spoon or spatula to stir everything together.  How easy is that?

Graham Crackers-Honey Maid of course but use your fav.  I throw the crackers in a plastic bag, take out my trusty rolling pin and CRUSH 💪 them into fine crumbs.  You can use different cookies such as Digestive Cookies (It’s a British thing, lol), Speculoos or Biscoff.  Just make sure to crush em’ up good.

Carrots-Most recipes have you use the small holes for finely grated carrots.  I used the bigger holes 🤷🏻‍♀️  for coarsely grated carrots, worked like a champ!  If you are using a box grater, I don’t think it matters much.  Don’t buy pre-shredded carrots and don’t forget to peel you carrots!

Fat-I use oil in this cake, either a canola, grapeseed oil, any oil that is neutral in flavor should work.  You can use butter, I’m not sure there is an advantage since butter flavor is not necessary for this cake.

Add-itions-Ok, if you must, you can add raisins or nuts to this cake.  Stir into the batter after adding the carrots.  Use approximately 3/4 cup of either.

Pour batter into three parchment lined 9×2 round pan equally.  For a slightly taller cake bake in 8×2 cake pans, adjust baking time.  I have a scale so I weigh the total amount of batter, place each cake pan on the scale, zero it and pour 1/3 of batter by weight into each pan.  Takes the guessing away but that’s just me.

The layers bake quickly, so keep an eye out, and they will be pretty flat, perfect for frosting.

It’s All About the Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting.  Sometimes I think cake is just an excuse to have frosting especially cream chesse frosting.  I have been binging Zoe Bakes and lucky for me she has an episode on carrot cake.  More importantly, her method to make creamy, smooth, cream cheese frosting.  No more lumpy frosting!  The cream cheese frosting is an adaption of Hubby’s.  Add powdered sugar to taste, approximately 1.5 cups to 2 cups max.  The creme fraiche adds creaminess and voluptuousness.

The trick is to start by beating COLD cream cheese until smooth and then gradually adding room temperature butter.  When you have finished adding the butter, add vanilla and creme fraiche and beat until combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.  Add one third of the powdered sugar and beat at low speed to combine. Repeat with remaining sugar.  Careful not to beat the frosting too much.  Beat just to combine the sugar and cream cheese mixture until it is smooth and creamy.  If it seems too soft, cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or until it firms up.

The Finish

Icing on the Cake

To make things easier, I weigh the frosting and then divide into 4 equal portions using my trusty scale.  Place cake on a turntable (see my IG video!)  Place one layer on cake turntable, top with frosting and spread to the edge using an offset spatula. Repeat with remaining layers.  For the top layer and sides, start with a crumb layer, a thin layer of frosting to lock in any crumbs on the cake for a clean look to your frosting,  Then finish frosting.  It’s not necessary to frost the sides.  If you don’t, divide the frosting into thirds.  I went with the “skimpy” sides frosting look..something I have seen a lot lately. Kinda cool and very easy.

With an offset spatula, starting at the center of the cake, move the spatula tip through the frosting towards the outside perimeter, groovy right?

For a fun touch, use a cookie cutter to create design in the center with sprinkles.  Enjoy!

My favorite foods can be eaten with a bowl and a spoon.  The perfect fall day would be snuggled up on the couch, watching a favorite movie or K-drama, with a spoon and a bowl of goodness nestled in my hands.

Bowl Food (noun 1)

synonym: bowl of goodness, bowl food-soul food

• a concave usually nearly hemispherical vessel: a rounded container that is usually larger than a cup filled with deliciousness such as Braised Pork Rice (肉燥饭), Ramen, Udon, or Won Ton Noodle Soup
• food that immediately transports you back to your childhood

So, it is not surprising that the first recipe I tried from Clarissa Wei’s new book, Made in Taiwan, was a recipe for Rou Zao Fan or Braised Pork Rice.  It fits the definition of bowl food to a tee.  A rich, flavor-packed sauce made with diced pork belly, and shallots, served over rice.  Rou Zao Fan is the southern Taiwan version of Lu Rou Fan. Hers is a simpler version of Lu Rou Fan. which means no star anise (5 Spice powder) or shiitake mushrooms. Just pure porky goodness accented with soy paste, soy sauce, and sugar.  Two of my favorite Taiwanese rice bowls include Lu Rou Fan,  and Ja Y i Fan or Turkey Rice, which is the perfect way to use any extra Thanksgiving turkey…that is, besides a turkey, stuffing, cranberry, gravy, and mayo sammie.

Ingredients

Pork:  Use pork belly with skin.  You will find recipes that use ground pork or pork shoulder which are pretty darn good. But, for the real deal, use pork belly.  The fat provides flavor and unctuousness, that is unmatched.  Pork belly is just unsliced bacon. Yes, it’s rich. The beauty of this dish, it is so flavorful, and so jam-packed with umami that a little goes a long way.  Whether it was born out of necessity or not,  meat is generally not the biggest part of a Chinese meal.  Rice or noodles and vegetables are the base, and meat is the accent.  I usually make a batch and freeze a good portion of it for quick meals down the road.

Pork belly can be found in most Asian stores.  If you can’t find it in a slab, buy the thickest sliced pork belly and cut it into 1/4-inch pieces. If your local grocery store has a butcher counter ask if they have uncured pork belly.

Fried shallots:  Pick up fried shallots in any Asian Store.  It is relatively inexpensive or you can make your own in a microwave.  Place 1 cup of thinly sliced shallots in a microwave-proof bowl (I use an Anyday bowl, I found the recipe on their site) with 1-1/4 cup vegetable oil. Microwave uncovered for approximately 7 minutes (1000-watt microwave) or until golden brown.  If the shallots aren’t brown enough, microwave in 20 to 30-second increments.  Don’t let the shallots get too dark.  They will continue to cook after zapping them.  Let the dish sit in the microwave for an additional minute before removing.

THE BOWL & OIL WILL BE SUPER HOT, REMOVE WITH CARE AND GLOVES.  Remove shallots with a strainer, place on a paper towel, and cool completely.  This will also work with scallions and leeks.  BONUS, save the super aromatic oil and use it for stir-frying or to make sauces and dressings.  The fragrant oil makes homemade fried shallots worth the effort.

Convenience hack:  During the holidays Trader Joe’s carries fried onions in a can for the proverbial green bean casserole. They work pretty darn well for this recipe and Taiwanese Turkey Rice.

Taiwanese Soy Paste:  Unique to Taiwan and found in Chinese grocery stores.  It’s soy sauce on steroids. The addition of sugar, and sweet rice, creates a viscous, sweet, salty pourable sauce (despite being called a paste).  It is similar to oyster sauce without the crustacean vibe.  If you can’t find soy paste, you could try oyster sauce…🤷🏻‍♀️

Soy Sauce:  I know what you’re thinking, got this…but, sorry to burst your bubble. Taiwan has its own soy sauce that is different than those from China or Hong Kong.  Nuanced? Yes.  But since I’m here.  Widely available Taiwanese soy sauces include Kimlan, Wan Ja Shan, or Amoy.  Taiwanese soy sauce is similar to Japanese soy sauce.  If you don’t have a Taiwanese soy sauce I would use Kikkoman, in particular their organic soy sauce.  Both are a little sweeter than Chinese/HK Soy sauces.

Add soy sauce, soy paste, sugar, garlic, and water or low-sodium broth.

Bring to a boil and add fried shallots.  Lower heat to a nice simmer and continue for approximately 2 hours, or until the pork is tender.  If the stock gets low add a bit of water or stock.

Finishing Touches

Serve with steamed broccoli, bok choy, or greens of choice, and of course, spooned over a bowl of rice.  Add hard-boiled eggs, I like them jammy like a ramen egg, but traditionally Taiwanese eggs are hard-boiled.  You can add diced shiitake mushrooms to braise with the pork, which adds a little healthy vibe to it.  Garnish with scallions, or cilantro, and more fried shallots!

Enjoy!