A First-Time Cake in a Familiar Pot
The other day, I suddenly craved carrot cake.
A moist cake with a hint of spice, topped generously with cream cheese frosting. As I imagined savoring it slowly with coffee or tea, I gradually felt inspired to make it myself.
However, I don't have an oven at home.
I wondered if I could make it with the tools I already had, and then I remembered my HAL non-water pot, which has become a staple in my daily kitchen routine.
The one I use at home is a 20cm size, which can cook up to 4 cups of rice. I use it almost every day for cooking rice, as well as for stews, stir-fries, and steamed dishes.
Come to think of it, this pot can also be used as a "Dutch oven." But I had never used it that way before, and I certainly didn't think it could bake a cake. So this time, I decided to give it a try.
A Fragrant Time, Making the Batter
First, I started by making the batter.
I put eggs and muscovado sugar in a bowl and mixed them well, then gradually added rice oil. Next, I added cake flour, almond flour, and spices, and mixed everything together.
The recipe I referenced was modest with spices, but this time I added plenty to suit my taste. Instead of nutmeg, I added cardamom, combining it with cinnamon to create a rich aroma.
After mixing until just a little powdery, I added plenty of finely chopped carrots from the food processor. A quick stir of the whole mixture, and the batter was ready in no time.
I lined the pot with parchment paper cut to size, poured in the batter, and smoothed the surface.
The rest was up to the non-water pot.
Slow Cooking in the "Dutch Oven"
After pouring in the batter, I put on the lid and cooked it over very low heat. I decided to try cooking it for 20 minutes.
After about 20 minutes, I carefully opened the lid to find a plump carrot cake.
It was a little different from a cake baked in an oven; the surface had a moist, steamed bread-like finish. The thickness, which I had been concerned about, had risen nicely to about 5cm.
"I really baked a cake in a pot!"
I couldn't help but feel happy at the sight of it the moment I opened the lid.
However, when I took it out of the pot, I noticed the bottom was slightly burnt. Although I had shortened the cooking time to 20 minutes from a recipe that suggested 25 minutes, it still seemed a bit too long.
Next time, I'll try 18 minutes and let it finish cooking with residual heat.
Dressing Up with Lemon-Scented Frosting
Once baked, I removed the cake from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
In the meantime, I decided to make the cream cheese frosting for the topping.
I combined cream cheese with softened unsalted butter and powdered sugar, and finished with a little fresh lemon juice. The mellow flavor of the cream cheese combined with the refreshing acidity of the lemon enhanced the spice aroma even further.
Once the cake was completely cool, I spread a generous amount of frosting over it, topped it with roasted walnuts, and the carrot cake was complete.
A Slightly Different Time with Familiar Tools
I immediately sliced it and enjoyed it with a warm cup of black tea.
The moist batter with its spreading spice aroma, combined with the mellow cream cheese and refreshing lemon, was a perfect match. The nutty aroma of the walnuts also added to it, creating a flavor I liked more than I expected.
The next day, the spices and carrots had melded even better into the batter, offering a different deliciousness than when it was freshly baked. Baking it the day before seems like a good idea for the next day's snack.
Until now, I've often made sweets that don't require an oven, such as Anmitsu or parfaits, but I never thought I could bake a cake in a non-water pot.
Using it as a "Dutch oven" for the first time has added a new way to enjoy a familiar tool.
Sometimes, by looking at familiar tools from a slightly different perspective, you can discover unexpected uses.
This carrot cake experience seems likely to increase the use of my non-water pot even further.
