Beat cream cheese. Add other ingredients. Cook in moderate oven 30 to 40 minutes.

Savoury parsnip muffins

300 g grated parsnip

carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

125g butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons mixed spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

250g (1 cup) grated carrot

1/2 cup sultanas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

50g butter

125g cream cheese, softened at room temperature

2 cups icing sugar

1 handful of chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180degC. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

To make the cupcakes, beat the butter, sugar and eggs together. Mix in other ingredients. Divide the mixture between the cupcake liners.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, Cool in the tin until completely  cold.

To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients until smoothly combined.

Spread on cold cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Beetroot Salad With bacon & sour cream

Serves 4-6

Roasting beetroot for this satisfying salad may take a while but the oven does all the work.

It can serve as a first or main course, or is also good as a side dish with steak or chicken

300grams soweet beetroot, peeled and cut into thin wedges

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 handfuls rocket leaves

4 rashers rindless bacon diced 4cm

200g sour cream

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 200 degC. Put the beetroot into an ovenproof dish, add 4 tablespoons of the oil then season with salt and pepper.

Cover and place in the oven for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven. Add the vinegar and mix well.

Place the rocket on a serving platter. Fry the bacon in the remaining oil until just crisp.

Scatter the beetroot over the rocket, reserving the oil and vinegar mix from the beetroot dish.

Put small blobs of sour cream over everything and sprinkle the bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

Drizzle the oil and vinegar mixture over everything.

3 cups finely grated carrots
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/4 cups of oil ( olive oil or similar)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup of raisins

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Butter and flour either two 9-inch-diameter cake pans or a large muffin tin.

in separate bowls:
1. mix the grated carrots, walnuts and raisins together.

2. mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

3. mix the sugar and the oil together. Then add in the eggs to the sugar and oil mixture 1 at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds are each.
Add flour mixture to this and stir until blended.
Finally add in the carrot mixture and mix until blended.
Divide the batter into the cake tins or the muffin tins.
Bake cakes or muffins until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. It takes about 20 minutes for the muffins and 40 minutes for the cake.

Cool the cakes/muffins in the pans for at least 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks and enjoy!

Filling:
1 cup apple(cut into thin pieces)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar

Whipped cream:
3/4 cup cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Method:
Sift flour and baking powder together and keep aside.
Beat eggs with sugar till frothy. Add oil little by little beating all the time. Add cinnamon, essence and mix well.
Now add carrot and flour and mix till the flour is well mixed with the egg mixture.
Preheat the oven at 350F for around 10mins. Pour the mixture in a greased & floured baking dish. Bake at 350F for around 35mins or till a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Take the cake out of the dish when it is cooled to room temperature. Cut it into two halves.

Heat butter and add apple and sugar. Cook till the apple becomes soft.

Whip the cream with sugar till it forms soft peaks.
Spread the apples on one half of the cake.

Spread the cream on the bottom side of other half.

Keep the second half on the first. Press gently.

Decorate as required

Serve cold. (While storing in refrigerator, cover the cake in a large vessel or with plastic sheet otherwise it gets hard).

Makes 8 large pieces
Preparation time : 20mins (excluding baking time)

Ingredients:

Carrot -2 chopped finely
Chilly powder -1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/4 tsp
Oil – 1tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Wheat flour – 2 cups
Hot water -1/2 cup

Method:

1.Chop the carrots finely ,then cook it in microwave for 3 mins with salt and 3 tsp of water.
2.In a large bowl take wheat flour,oil,all the spice powders and mix properly.
3.Then add the cooked carrot to it and hot water and kneed properly until it forms a soft dough for about 10 mins.
4.Then make small balls out of it and roll into thin parata’s.
5.Then bake it in oven until both sides become a bit brown.
6.This is ready to be served.These become very soft and looks great.

Add to the carrots:

1/4 cup grated or finely chopped red onion (optional)

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped

For the dressing:

Use 2 tablespoons lemon juice and omit the vinegar

Add 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground lightly toasted cumin seeds

Substitute 2 to 3 tablespoons buttermilk for 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil

1. Place the onions in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 15 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, and drain on paper towels. Add to the carrots along with the capers and parsley. Make the dressing as directed, adding to it the curry powder and ground cumin. Toss with the salad.

For the Frosting:
125g cream cheese softened
25g butter softened
3 cups icing sugar (approx)

Makes 12 generous pieces
Preheat oven to 180 deg C
Spray a 20 x 30cm sponge roll tin with non-stick baking spray and line with baking paper.
Place the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and mixed spice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla essence, then tip this into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Add the parsnip and pecans.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm in the centre and pulling away from the sides of the tin.
Coll the cake completely in the tin before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and smoothly combined.
Beat in enough icing sugar to make a spreadable but firm consistency.
Spread over the cake and chill for at least 3 hours to set.