Carrot Khoya White Chocolate Cake

For me, winter means lot of red carrots, fresh cauliflower, bright green peas and varieties of green leafy vegetables. But unfortunately, I am not so happy with the veggies that I get in Chennai. ( The only drawback I feel about living in Chennai). As I have said before, fresh vegetables are my weakness. During my PhD days, when I used to go to other IIT s and various universities (especially in the northern parts of India) for conferences and

presenting papers, I would be excited seeing the fresh vegetables there. It’s as if the vegetables are inviting us to carry them home 🙂

So, when we went for a trip to the North during this Pongal holidays, my only request to hubby was to let me buy some veggies on our way back home. And fortunately, as we were driving back to the airport, I spotted a nice vegetable market and could buy some fresh red carrots, green peas, cauliflower and cabbage. I would have bought some of the big eggplants, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers too, but wasn’t sure how fresh and undamaged it would stay during the long flight journey. However, I am extremely happy that I could get these.

So, today was a carrots-carrots everywhere kind of day for me. The day started with (ofcourse after sending off hubby to office and Neha to school) grating lots of carrots, making a big batch of khoya and preparing a carrot kheer, carrot halwaand this yummy carrots-khoya-white chocolate cake. The smell is this cake is simply outstanding, very similar to my khoya cake. It’s a typical Indian mithai kind of cake, a perfect example of a fusion cake. You may frost this cake with cream cheese or white chocolate ganache or simply drizzle of with some melted white chocolate. You can use 100 grams of sugar if you want a mildly sweet cake or increase it upto 125 gram of little more if you prefer a sweeter version. As always I have used 240 ml cup. Please do try and share your feedback.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 150 gm
• Salt a pinch
• Baking powder 3/4 tsp
• Baking soda 1/4 tsp
• Butter 1/4 cup (56 gm)
• Milk 3/4 cup (180 ml)
• Khoya 100 gm
• White chocolate 100 gm
• Grated carrot 150 gm
• Sugar 100-125 gm
• Cardamom powder 1 tsp
• Almond/pista slivers as required
• Ghee 2 tsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven at around 150-160 degree Celsius for atleast 10 minutes.
• Sieve the flour, salt and rising agents 2-3 times.
• Grease an eight inch round cake tin with butter and dust it with flour. Tap out the excess flour.
• Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan and saute the grated carrots for 7-8 minutes till the carrots are soft.

• Add the chopped white chocolate, butter and khoya and cook till the butter and chocolate melts.

• Add sugar and milk and mix till the sugar dissolves completely.

• Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
• Gently fold the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture in 2-3 batches. Do not mix vigorously.

• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and tap it on the counter to remove air bubbles if any.
• Decorate with almond slivers.

• Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or more or till a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Remove the tin from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5-6 minutes.

• Transfer the cake onto a wire rack and cool it completely.

• Slice and serve this lip smacking yummy cake.