CARROT CAKE REVIEW No 5 ~ In Carrots We Trust.

Sheringham Park, Norfolk.














It was quite a moderately sized slice of carrot cake, but the price probably reflects that. I've certainly had bigger, but then size isn't everything, and those huge slices often turn out to be flavourless sponges anyway.  The cake had a good open texture, with that reassuringly orangey brown that any half decent carrot cake will possess, like a healthy baked tan.  It also had a rugged smattering of sultanas and walnuts, some of which, unfortunately still lay on the bottom of the cake. They probably weren't well enough mixed in.

The first flavour you hit, once you stop observing the external indicators and sink your molars into it? Well, actually its an excellent carroty taste, not overly moist, but then not gingerbread dry, probably about right. The texture is good, the recipe appears to possess a goodly amount of carrot, it has avoided that weightiness, solid and soggy, that the truly worthy wholesome carrot cake can become in ardent hands.  Having said that, a carrot cake is probably the very definition of a homely cake, weighty and wholesome.

There was some spice in it, probably mixed, thought I could detect some signature inflections of cinnamon.  Nothing too noticeable or it would risk turning a carrot cake into a spice cake, which I have encountered in my previous undocumented adventures into the world of cafe carrot cakes.
Hubby says it was machine made, because there were tell tale signs of its catering paper casing. Whether they run their own central catering department, or contract this out, I don't know. Though presumably they use a similar recipe to the one in the NT Cookbook.

The topping strikes the one major note of disappointment. No, its not a buttercream, its a white icing sugar topping, - yeh yuk! . Hubby assures me they've added some sort of white fat/trex to stiffen it, plus a dash of lemon. But the dominant effect is of one massive sugar hit, that stamps angrily on the not insubstantial carrotiness, like its flattening a fly on a window pane.

This being a carrot cake sold through the National Trust it is stately and dependable, its not going to inflame any conservative purists into apoplexy. Though perhaps lacking a little in stylistic flair and hence, excitement. it is quite an acceptable carrot cake nonetheless, in the classic sense.

CARROT CAKE SCORE ~ 6/8


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CARROT CAKE REVIEW No 10 ~ The Confectionary Sins Of The Spice Trade

Image
Whitby, Yorkshire. Just because I'm on holiday doesn't mean I neglect my search for the perfect Carrot Cake, I have merely broadened the designated search area. Also, one should not assume that because I was in one of my favourite cafes in Whitby, whose range of superlative cakes I could go into raptures about, that they were a shoe-in for a high rating. Reader read on. Well, it was a huge portion, on what was quite a small plate, perhaps they were trying to emphasise I was getting value for money. But you know me, I'm not easily swayed by appearances however beautifully confected, if it doesn't cut it once its placed inside my gob, then all that is for nought. Unfortunately once this cake hit my palette and the taste buds started to do their routine detective work, the first flavour hit was of ginger, no, spice, oh boy this is a mixed spice cake my dears. One might want to be charitable, and assume the baker had a bit of an over tipple with the spice
Read more

CARROT CAKE REVIEW No 2 - Sponge Cake does not a Carrot Cake make

Image
Sheringham, Norfolk, The cake on the plate looked enormous, declaring itself a value for money slice of cake loud and clear. You could even see the gratings of carrot creating an orange speckled effect. The first taste of the cake was that it was rather fluffy and, I have to say, excessive in the lightness of its texture. I don't know about you, but for me, one of the characteristics of a really good carrot cake is that because of its primary ingredient, ie. the carrot, it  tends to be a dense and weightier cake than most other species. When you envisage a carrot cake, fluffy, never comes to mind. I came to the conclusion that this cake was, in its very essence, made from a sponge mix with some large gratings of carrot thrown in for local colour. So, it carries its carrot credentials a bit weakly. That said, it still had some carrot taste to it, plus a mild amount of mixed spice. The overall appearance and taste did teeter towards bland, which is a shame. Had
Read more

Searching for the Perfect Carrot Cake

I've been conducting an experiment, in every cafe I eat , if they have one I eat only Carrot Cake. I'm trying to establish the qualities of the perfect version. As Hubby and I are planning to open a cafe, you could say this is essential research. This blog is to help assert more analytical clarity. Carrot Cakes vary, from 'this is just a brown sponge' to 'my god there's some mixed spice in that'. Even my very favourite cafes for coffee and ambience, can be let down by their cakes. So these cake reviews should not be taken as representative of the cafe's qualities as a whole. Anyway, on with the search.  
Read more