FEB 3 : (CARROT) CAKE DAY!!!

[Espi]

Found this in another log and thought it was so cute it deserved a separate thread.

My son decided, 3 years ago when he was 8, we needed another holiday to celebrate so he decided we should celebrate cakes. Cake Day is the 1st Sunday in February-Sunday so Daddy can be home to celebrate...cakes!
The idea came from a Jimmy Neutron episode. So remember, February 3rd is Cake Day! Cakes Rule!

Was thinking about a particular cake, that's flour-based and is so scrumptuous it's called Crack Cocain Cake !
Let's be adventurous and celebrate CAKE DAY!

Virtual prizes for the one who gained the most after eating an entire cake!

(boy, it's been a year or longer since I ate that much cake)...

However, later on I realized that I don't tolerate gluten all too well. I don't mind a temporary weight gain, but I do mind 'losing' my mind.. I always have terrible short-term memory the days following gluten-consumption.

So.. I dug up this recipe for carrot cake since I adore carrot cake and can't buy it (easily) here in the NLs.
There's 2 problems:
1. I don't work with volume but with METRIC weight, so what's the conversion in grams ?
2. I want to use whole eggs not just eggwhites since the taste of egg whites only is nasty compared to whole eggs, so again, what's the conversion?


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Carrot cake muffins

8eggwhites
1 c oats
1/2c cottage ch
1 c shredded carrots
1/3c crushed pineapple
1tsp stevia or .5 c splenda
4tsp cinnamon
2tb walnuts and raisins
2tsp van extract
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F (that's around 175°C).

combine, cottage cheese, eggwhites, oats, cinnamon, sweetener, vanilla extact and baking powder.
Mix well.
Stir in shredded carrots, pinapple, nuts raisins.
Coat muffin tins with cooking spray, fill and bake for about 28 min.

[cappuccino]

I would check out nutritiondata.com. They often have options to choose from certain foods that show the volume and weight in parentheses. Won't be 100% hit, but good enough. You might have to extrapolate a bit too as it'll show maybe 1c (xxg) and you'll only need 1/2 c

Here's what I know without much research:
1/2C oats=40g
1/2C cottage cheese = approx 113g

1T = 15g dry weight, but I think it depends on the food
1T=3tsp, so about 5g

On the eggs, I guess I would just shoot for the same liquid volume. Either check out the weight of a yolk and an egg white (I used to know!) and try to get close. If you find it's too runny, you can always add a tad bit more oats. I'd guess 8whites=4-5 whole eggs.

Good luck. And I am SO making these. I love carrot cake!

PS I bet they'd be good without any sweeteners...pinapple, raisins and carrots are sweet. You really need a volume comparison if you're going to use splenda. I tried it by weight once and was sooooo wrong. It measures volume by volume, but it does NOT equal up by weight.

[Espi]

I'm going to use regular sugar, since Splenda is not (yet) on sale here and aspartame powder loses its' sweetness for baking. Might also just add more raisins instead.
Sucralose/Splenda is added to some products, but those are a minority.

What I also can do is to still use that 'cup' measurement for the carrots & pineapple (not for the oats/cottage cheese) , but just use 'a' cup, not a measuring cup.

[cappuccino]

Yeah, that would work. I'd use brown sugar, if you have it there. More flavor for the punch.

Oh, a cup is 8oz solid or 250ml liquid. Maybe that will help you have an idea of how big your cup should be.

[LisaS]

1C shredded carrots = 110g
1/3 C crushed pineapple = 82g
2T walnuts = 15g
2T raisins = 20g
2t baking powder = 9.2 g
2t vanilla = 8.4g or use 1t = 4.9 ml
4t cinnamon = 10.4g
1/2C sugar = 100g

source: USDA Nutrient search http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

[Espi]

Thanks.. I see to have used way too many carrots last time

[LisaS]

1C ~ 236 cc/ml if you have a volume measure.

Obviously, we are dependent on "how packed down" whoever did the USDA measuring packed the cup before he weighed the carrots.

[Espi]

Someone pointed out this gem to me: GourmetSleuth - Cooking Conversions Calculator

[LisaS]

that's a nice interface built on top of the USDA database - I'll have to bookmark that one.

[Espi]

Originally Posted by cappuccino

I would check out nutritiondata.com. They
Here's what I know without much research:
1/2C oats=40g

Good luck. And I am SO making these. I love carrot cake!

Since I made a stupid mistake on my Thursday's cooking adventure*, I thought to finally check how many grams 1 cup of oats really is.

You may want to reconsider how many oats you want to eat or change calculations..

On: GourmetSleuth - Cooking Conversions Calculator
oats
Your answer is: 1 cup (US) = 156 grams

Half a cup would be nearly 80g, so your 40g = 1/4 cup.

* At Thursday I used a stupid recipe that makes you use rice and not state boiled or raw. Assuming it was raw, I poured on very hot coconut milk... and ended with raw & hot unpalatable rice pudding! Nor did they tell their coconut milk was unsweetened. May bad recipe makers burn in hell!

[cappuccino]

goes to show how non-standard the volume measurements are. The nutrition facts label on oatmeal says 1/2C=40g. When I don't have my scale, and have to use a measuring cup, I definately can't fill it full for 40g.

Edit: I wonder if the 156g for 1c = cooked and not raw

here's what nutritiondata.com says:
Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Cereals, oats, regular and quick and instant, not fortified, dry [oatmeal, old-fashioned oats, rolled oats] - dry

[Espi]

Thanks! Yes, it didn't mention... and since I'm always measuring raw (not cooked), I'd not even asked... you were right after all.

So fortunate I'd not yet prepared the cake (it's 7pm here)!

[cappuccino]

let me know how it goes. I have all the ingredients and plan on making it soon.

[Espi]

Tonight it's the high-fat/carb version w real (brown) sugar (80g and 20g worth of art. sweetener) and 5 whole eggs (figured 8 egg whites = 8x35 =245 = 5x50).
In about 45 mins I should know...

In the end I noticed to have forgotten the baking powder. Fortunately my neighbor, a sweet German girl, borrowed me hers. She's got no oven but had brought her own nonetheless. I've promised her some cake in case it turns out OK.

I just might turn tonight into a big cake-eating fest and start my carb up now so that tomorrow's db presses and front squats will turn out awesome... FitWit's son will be thrilled...