Web B Learning Academy

Cooking with Blearning! :) Carrot Cake

Hoy vamos a cocinar una tarta de zanahoria, es una tarta diferente, que se hizo popular durante la Segunda guerra mundial en Inglaterra. Es relativamente sencilla por lo que podemos hacerla con los niños en casa. Y si además lo hacemos en inglés, ¿qué más podemos pedir? ¿Preparados? It’s time to have fun.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (260g) chopped pecans(1 cup for cake, 1 cup for garnish)
• 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup (133g) smooth unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups (260g) grated carrots(about 4 large)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 16 ounces (450g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt,to taste

Instructions

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the chopped pecans on the sheet and toast for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Grease two or three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper.

Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together in a large bowl until combined and no brown sugar lumps remain. In another large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together until just combined. Fold in the carrots and 1 cup of the toasted pecans. (The rest of the pecans are for garnish.)

Pour/spoon the batter evenly into the cake pans. If using three cake pans, bake for 20-24 minutes. If using two cake pans, bake for 30-35 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. If not, continue to bake until cooked through. Do not over-bake. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

Make the frosting:

In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.

Assemble and frost: 

First, using a large serrated knife or cake leveler, layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, and then top with the 3rd layer. Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Decorate the sides and top of the cake with the remaining toasted pecans. Refrigerate cake for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.

Cover leftover frosted cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Vocabulary

Chopped: cortado, picado

Parchment paper: papel de horno

Whisk: batir, mezclar

Lumps: grumos

Grease: engrasar

Layer: capa

by Web B Learning Academy

Cookign with Blearning! Croissants :)

¿A quién no le gustan los croissants? Sin duda es uno de los dulces preferidos por todos. Admiten muchas posibilidades, como dulces en desayuno, merienda o cualquier momento que te apetezca. Y la mezcla con salado es también riquísima, un croissant con jamón y queso a la plancha uhmmmm, qué rico. ¿Os apetece? Pues aquí os dejamos una receta para que podáis hacerlos en casa y os queden muy muy ricos y crujientes. Y como estamos empeñados en practicar inglés juntos, os dejamos la receta en inglés para que continuéis practicando. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour.
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt.
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup milk (you may need slightly more or less)
• egg wash

Step 1

In the bowl of your mixer, add the warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast. Give it a quick stir with a fork or small whisk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast foams up well.

Step 2

To your bloomed yeast, add the flour and salt. Use the dough hook on your mixer and let the dough knead for about 5 minutes on low speed. The dough should turn out soft, elastic, and slightly sticky. Add 1 tbsp at a time until your dough feels perfect. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes, then add it back to the bowl. Wrap the bowl well with plastic and let the dough sit in the fridge for 1 hour.

Step 3

Arrange the sticks of butter on a sheet of plastic wrap horizontally. Lay another piece of plastic over the sticks, and use a rolling pin to flatten the sticks until you have approximately an 8×5 inch rectangle. Put the butter, still wrapped in plastic, in the fridge until the dough is ready.

Step 4

Laminating dough is the process of folding butter into the dough many times, which is what creates all those layers. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it to a 16×10 inch rectangle. Place your butter in the center, and fold the edges of the dough rectangle over to cover the butter completely. Roll the dough out so it’s back to 16×10 inches, then fold it letter-style into thirds. Wrap the dough with plastic and place it in the fridge for an hour. I like to repeat this process a total of 5 times.

Step 5

Roll the dough out, one last time, until you have a long rectangle about 1/4″ thick. I like to cut the dough into thirds to make this part easier. Slice the dough into long triangles, and roll each one starting at the wide end until you have a crescent shape. Brush with a lightly beaten egg, and bake on a parchment paper lined sheet for 8-12 minutes at 200º, then turn the oven down to 180º and bake for another 8-12 minutes.

Vocabulary

Small whisk = batidor pequeño

Foams up= hacer espuma

Slightly sticky = ligeramente pegajosa

Tbsp = table spoon= cucharada

Rolling pin = rodillo

To flatten = aplanar

Roll (the dough) out = estirar (la masa)

Thick= grosor

Crescent shape= forma de media luna

Lightly beaten egg = Huevo ligeramente batido

by Web B Learning Academy