Day: 6 December 2022

Foundation and Earth

This is my fifth book of Foundation series. I liked it but the end that was a bit of a pluff. I was surprised that it was a continuation of Foundation’s Edge as the other books were set in different stages from the establishment of Foundation(s) to the advancement of Seldon’s plan with different plots and characters.

Still it hooked me and read it very eagerly.

Very likely I will read the other two books related to before foundation. And maybe in the future I will give it a go to the Robots series.

Carrot Cake

This is a typical British cake. This is for a cicle tin of around 18cm diameter and at least 5cm high.

Ingredients:

  • 110g sunflower oil
  • 170g dark brown sugar
  • 2 small eggs beaten
  • 170g plain flour
  • 5g baking powder
  • 2g cinnamon
  • 2 medium carrots grated
  • 42g raisins
  • 42 chopped walnuts
  • pinch of salt
  • a bit of melted butter
  • optional: 1 bottle cap of (dark) rum.

Process:

  • Pre-heat oven at 170C
  • Using the circle tin, use to cut a cicle with baking paper to cover the bottom of the tin.
  • Butter the bottom and side of the tin. Put the paper and butter a bit again.
  • Dust a bit of flour on the bottom of the tin. Smack it a bit to produce an anti-stick layer.
  • Mix oil and sugar in a bowl. Then add the beaten eggs.
  • In another bowl, mix carrots, raisins and rum (optional).
  • In another bowl, sift (twice!) the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  • And the flour to the wet mix. Whisk until smooth.
  • Add carrot mix, mix properly.
  • Add walnuts, fold it!
  • Pour the mix into the tin and take to the oven.
  • Bake for 1h or so. Use a tooth stick to check the cake is baked. It should come out clean.
  • Let is cool down in a racket.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

  • 150g philadelpia cream cheese (be sure it is consistent! – full fat!)
  • 25g icing sugar sifted
  • 12g softed butter
  • 1/4 tsp of lemon juice
  • A couple of drops of vanilla paste.

Process

  • Mix cheese and sugar. Whisking
  • Add butter. Keep whisking
  • Add vanilla
  • Add lemon juice.
  • It should be a consistent mix. You dont the frosting to melt down once spread on your cake.

Finishing Cake:

  • Remove the cake from the tin. It should be cool down enough.
  • In a plate, leave the flat part on top so it is easier to put the cream.
  • With a palette, create a flat surface with the cream. You can use a pipping bag and a rotating dish to help you with the process.
  • Make eight dollops for decoration.

Optional: Marzipan Carrots

Ingredients:

  • 50g of marzipan (store bought)
  • Orange, blue and yellow colorants.

Process:

  • In a small container, mix a couple of drops of yellow and blue colorant to make a green color.
  • Take 30g of marzipan and put a couple of drops of orange. Use latex gloves! Mix both until you have a orange ball.
  • Do the same with a 15g aprox marzipan portion and green.
  • To create small carrots, take a small ball of orange, with the edge of you palm, try to create the body of the carrot.
  • With the bland edge of knife make circle of the carrot body.
  • With a tooth stick make a hole in the top to add later the green tail.
  • Take a tiny ball of green marzipan. Again with the edge of your palms make a small tail, cut 3/4 with the knife to simulate the carrot leaves. With the tooth stick help to introduce the tip into the carrot.
  • Repeat with the rest.
  • Once you have eight. Put one in each cream dollop from the cake.