Birthday Chocolate Carrot Cake

 

During my kids' birthdays, I usually make it a point to at least bake them a cake. It is more of my birthday gift for them. But sometimes it is a little bit of a dilemma for me on what kind of cake to bake. Why? Because I usually have my own idea of what cake I like to bake and how I will decorate the frosting. But it is not my birthday! That is what I usually forget, lol. They have their own preference on what kind of cake they want. So my "selfish" personal ideas are thrown out of the window, lol. 

Anyway, what matters most is them. What they want and what they like. After all, it is their birthday! So this time, it was my son's birthday. (this post was late) I asked him what he wanted and he told me specifically to bake a Chocolate Carrot Cake! 

At first I thought, does chocolate go well with carrots? I tried to discouraged him but to no avail. He searched the net and found some recipes. Ha! I would not have known there is such thing as chocolate carrot cake, lol. 

Finally, I found one recipe online and tried baking it. I was skeptical that maybe it won't taste that good. I thought, " Here we go! Another experiment." But I was surprised how it turned out. Everybody liked the cake! I was amazed, too, how moist and good the cake was.  Another experiment gone great. This will be one of my fave cakes to bake from now on.

(Cake was frosted with milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. Decorated with chocolate bits on the side and some chopped walnuts.)

Anyone Likes Ube or Purple Yam?

(This is my home-baked Ube Cake)

"That is a beautiful purple color! Does it use artificial coloring?" I often hear these comments (from people who don't know) when they see pastries made of ube. They are usually surprised when told that it is the inherent color of the tuberous root crop.

Ube or purple yam is a crop that is grown for its enlarged roots like potatoes. Ube is sometimes confused with the purple sweet potatoes but they are two different kinds. Ube has a darker brown and rougher peeling while the purple sweet potatoes has a lighter brown and smoother skin.

Purple yam is a common staple in the Philippines. Filipinos use it mostly for making tasty desserts. They use it as a jam, an ingredient for cakes, and other delicious pastries. You can also make it into ice cream. In every Filipino gathering, you will see one or more menu made of ube.

Ube is one of my favorite flavors. I've always loved ube ice creams, cakes, and anything with ube in it. In my opinion, its taste is a blend of vanilla and almond flavors, some say also vanilla and pistachio. I guess it depends on the palate, lol. Anyway, if you want to find out its taste, try it out!