1 1 2 One of my most favourite memories from childhood was my dad reading to us Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott. I remember the chapter where the sisters shared their Christmas breakfast, even though they were starving, with the Hummels who had none. I was really touched and wondered then if I would ever be able to give up my Christmas comforts and share them with strangers I didn’t really know. I'm learning to give up more of what I think I need, so that i can give more to others who need. This year, I’ve decided to bake some carrot cake for everyone. Prices of fruitcakes have gone up remarkably and since mixed fruit was always a little too sweet for our taste, I think it would be better to make use of cheap readily available ingredients rather than pay triple normal price for a fruitcake steeped in rum. A modest meal, surrounded by loved ones…now that’s a beautiful Christmas. Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted butter 0.5 cups brown sugar Rind and juice of 1 orange, grated (or a tablespoon of marmalade) 2 eggs 2 medium carrots, grated 0.5 cup chopped walnuts and raisins 1 tbsp vanilla essence 1.5 cups plain flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 0.5 cup cream cheese 1 cup sugar 2 tsp limejuice Walnuts 1. Preheat the oven to 190C 2. Beat the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. 3. Add flour, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, orange, then fold in the grated carrot and chopped walnuts and raisins. 4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30mins. 5. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl till smooth, squeeze in limejuice to taste. 6. The sides of the cake should be coming away from the sides of the cake tin and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. If the cake looks quite done on the outside but is still wet in the middle, turn the oven heat down a bit, and leave it for another twenty minutes. It should then cook more slowly but more evenly throughout. 7. Cut a big slice and smear the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake. Decorate with walnuts and share it with someone you love. 0 0 Singapore 2008-12-17T17:52:42Z 0 72 false 237 1 0.0 3.0 1 3 2010-03-09T22:22:38Z false 14 10