Lily’s Blog, Dragon Absconded!
Baking Until I Drop

Golden Wheat Carrot Cake, originally uploaded by Lilandra.

As promised, a picture.
No, I didn’t have the whole cake.

You know, if people could capture the smell of baking and post it on the internet (don’t tell me about perfumes…can you put the smell of perfume on the internet??), then food photography might see a decline. Oh my! This smelled good.

To break fast, I had cold water, weak but hot earl grey tea and a slice of carrot cake. Mom had this but actually broke her fast with a date.

Then we went up to pray.

And eventually came downstairs to eat dinner (no pictures…hungry). There were various leftovers in the fridge…some had carrot rice, plain rice, stewed red beans,stewed beef, beef bone (niece!), maybe curry.

I had lots of water and jasmine rice and stewed red beans.
Everybody else *and* mom had their slice of carrot cake then. Dad and brother broke their fast in the masjid (and no we didn’t send…maybe tomorrow if there’s leftovers).

I made the carrot cake today, from Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s The Cake Bible. Mom said it’s Ramadan, you know we like something sweet.

Actually the recipe is called Golden Wheat Carrot Ring because she bakes it in a savarin pan? And because of that she just butters it. Well, madam, that is me, wanted a layer cake because that is the stuff of dreams. Also, layered with cream cheese frosting (but didn’t want my first buttercream to be during Ramadan, all alone) so thankfully mom came home and whipped up easy cream cheese frosting.

But, back to the pan layering.
I buttered it but I should’ve gone ahead and either floured it or (and) lined it because it was hard getting those cakes out. I mashed up almost two of them. You *might* notice strange sliding edges (unless I didn’t upload those pictures) in the others. But, I stand by a nice homemade cake, with all its imperfections is beautiful.

Anywayz, I managed it somehow. Mom unearthed ground almonds for pretty topping and I dusted cinnamon powder on top.
I love this picture :-)

I like this recipe.
No sugar but honey. Cake flour *and* whole wheat flour.
It tastes almost as if it has raisins but none! woohoo!
And no I didn’t put nuts in it.

A slice, just for you (no me! and mom!)
click!

A slice of Golden Wheat Carrot Cake, originally uploaded by Lilandra.

I think I had another carrot cake I liked once that was more carrots and vegan (oil! no butter).

Oh and can you believe, in the last few months and my orgy of baking, this is the first time I’ve had a bad egg.
EWWWW.
Thankfully the baking smell was great so I can forget it…partly.

For a recap of how Ramadan works.
The muslim calendar is lunar.
You look for the new moon to start the new month.
Our days start at sunset and end at sunset.
Each month is 29 or 30 days.
So, on the end of the 29th day (or beginning of the possible 30th) we look for the new moon in the sky at sunset. If we see it, then the first day of the next month has started at that sunset. If we don’t then this is the 30th day and we don’t have to look for the new moon the following sunset…because we’ve completed 30 days.

We didn’t see the moon in Trinidad Sunday night, so Ramadan started on Monday night. The first night prayer (Tarawih) was Monday night as sunset started the first day of Ramadan. The first fast, was on Tuesday (but first of Ramadan) and ended on Tuesday at sunset (and now we’re on the second day of Ramadan).

Does that make sense?

:-D

Anywayz…by the lunar calendar I have a birthday…coming up..VERY SOON…but celebrating birthdays is innovation in religion. Oh well :-D

I wonder if I bake my croissants tomorrow which won’t be ready to eat until after sunset (what day is that people???), whether my brother will eat them or not…hehehe