Laura Cowan Modern Judaica

Really Good Carrot Cake

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This cake is my new best friend.

It brought me my 15 minutes of fame at my son Max’s kindergarden bring and buy sale.
People actually said “Ooooh” and “Wooooow” when I walked in with it and I was elevated to celebrity status!
I’ve never been so popular and even strangers were asking me for the recipe.
Now I just have to work out how to keep it up the façade of master baker. (Michal, send me more recipes ASAP)
Here’s the recipe – let me know how it works out for you … ?

Really Good Carrot Cake (that’s a bit orangey)

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce (you can use more oil if you can’t get this)
2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup plain flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots

Frosting
100g/4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 package cream cheese (220 g/ 8 ounce) Philadelphia is good. Best if room temperature otherwise it doesn’t blend well
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

Preparation
For cake: Preheat oven to 160°c / 325°F. Lightly butter a large cake tin. Line bottom with baking paper; butter paper. Mix oil, apple sauce and both sugars in blender. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange juice and zest. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt – beat to blend. Stir in carrots.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until knife inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer tin to rack. Cool cake 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack. Remove waxed paper and cool.
For Frosting: Blend cream cheese and butter until light. Beat in orange juice and orange peel. Add sugar; beat until smooth. Spread frosting using spatula in thick decorative swirls over top and side of cake.
Cake can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

 

You Know You Have Become An Israeli When …

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You know you have become an Israeli when:

1. You can say כפרה עליך (capara alecha) and not sound ridiculous.
2. Taxi drivers stop charging you double tourist rates.
3. Your kids eat olives for breakfast.
4. You can sms in Hebrew.
5. You know the right way to ask for directions is not to say, “Excuse me, please can you tell the best way to get to the Ayalon” but to wind your window down and shout “Ayalon???”
6. You can say לך לקיבינימט (lech lkebinimat) and get away with it.
7. Your old friends from home think you are the rudest person they have ever met.
8. You turn up for wedding just as the bride is walking down the aisle. Then proceed to smoke, drink and make phone calls while they get married.
9. You live in the artist quarter of Neve Tzedek.

Tel Aviv: Insider Tips

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Take a look at some of my favourite corners of Tel Aviv. Real life at its best.

Best Humous

Abu Hassan in the Old City of Jaffa – get there early, they close when the big bowl of humous is finished (usually early afternoon) All the staff from Galai Tsahal (Army Radio) eat there because there studio is just round the corner. Also try the masabacha – a kind of hot spicy humous which you eat with chunks of onion. The masabacha is so strongly flavored that the onion tastes like a sweet apple in comparison. Just don’t go on a date that evening. Address: 1 Dolphin St. (on the hill)

Real Life

My favorite corner is Levinsky and Nahalat Binyamin (further south than the well known Nahalat Binyamin Craft Market). Take a step back in time and see all the spices and nuts in big sacks. Stock up on saffron, cinnamon sticks, rose tea and vanilla pods.

Modern Judaica

Me! Modern Judaica and art studio in the Neve Tsedek quarter. I design and create contemporary Mezuzahs, Hanukkah Menorahs, Shabbat Candlesticks and Seder Plates in stainless steel, pewter and anodized aluminum. Visitors welcome by appointment, contact me here.

Restaurant (celebration)

Herbert Samuel. Fantastic food. Called tapas, but that’s because the style is small portions to share – the type of food is eclectic. The olive oil that comes with the bread is so delicious you could drink it. Cool décor but unpretentious. Excellent service. Expensive, but not prohibitively so. Herbert Samuel Street (close to Dan Panorama Hotel)

Restaurant (budget)

24 Rupee. Satisfyingly hard to find. Sit on the floor on cushions, and feel like you are backpacking. Great for small kids that can’t sit still (like mine). They only serve one main dish – tali” – which is an Indian platter – theirs includes rice, chapatti, 3 types of curry and raita. Tastes just like the real thing. Veggie. Try the chai too. 14-16 Shoken Street (Industrial part of south central Tel Aviv)

Yogurt

The new craze to hit Tel Aviv. Whipped yogurt with a wide variety of fresh fruit, nut and chocolately toppings. Try Yogo on the corner of Ahad Haam and Nahalat Binyamin. Mad queues at the weekend. Or try the newly opened Yogurt Anita on 23 Shabazi Street in Neve Tsedek. They are the sister shop to the best ice cream in town (or anywhere in fact) Anita Cafe on Shabazi 42 (corner of Pines). Home-made Italian style ice cream, all real ingredients.

Clothes

Visit the up and coming Gan Hahashmal area for young designers – very contemporary (read crumpled, unusual cuts, vintage style etc)

Airport Taxi

Another local secret – Hadar Airport Taxi 03-971-1103. These are the cheapest taxis to the airport, they are the ones that have taken fares from the airport, and rather driving back empty they pick up fares for about 20-30% cheaper than other taxis. I know they service Tel Aviv, Raanana, Herzaliya and Jerusalem, you would need to check for other towns.