These interesting and simple recipes will brighten up a carrot lover's day

Celebrate International Carrot Day on Wednesday with some self-made delights using innovative recipes. Chef Sahil Wadhwa, Director at Wadhwa Baker and Chef Sharad Dewan from THE Park Kolkata have listed some interesting recipes to brighten up a carrot lover's day:

1. Carrot Cake

Ingredients: For 4 cakes

For the Batter

Flour (maida) 1 kg
Brown sugar 1 kg
Butter 1 kg
Eggs 30
Cinnamon Powder 2 tsp
Raisin 200 gm
Baking powder 2.5 gm
Nutmeg half (grated)
Carrots 1 kg
Yogurt 375 gm

For the Icing

100 gm Butter
200 gm icing sugar
100 gm cream cheese

For Garnish

Orange colour fondant or marzipan

Method for preparing batter: Combine sugar and butter together until creamy. Add eggs one by one so that they can emulsify properly with the sugar mixture. Grate the carrot and sequence all the excess water from the grated carrot and then add to the cake batter by using cut and fold method. Add yogurt.

Add all the dry ingredients, flour, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon powder to form cake batter. Grease properly the round tin mould and pour the carrot cake batter. Bake in the oven at 200 Degree Celsius for 35 to 40 minutes.

Method for icing: Combine sugar with butter, once creamy add cheese cream.

Method for garnish: Make small shape carrots from the fondant for the garnish. Spread the icing on the cake and garnish it with small carrots.

2. Orange carrot smoothie

Ingredients

Banana 1 (chilled or frozen)
Orange juice 250 ml
Carrot juice 250 ml
Ginger (minced) 2 tsp
Turmeric half tsp
Ice cube 230 gm

Method: Add all the ingredients into a blender until smooth (Bend for 30 to 90 seconds)

3. Wood Fired Oven Roasted Carrot and Garlic Hummus

Number of portions: 4

Ingredients

Carrot: 2
Dried chickpeas 300 gm
Bay leaf: 1
Salt to taste
Garlic peeled 35 gm
Lemon juice: 2
Olive oil: 200 ml
Sea salt: 1 gm
Tahina paste: 80 gm

To serve with: Proprietary

Pita bread 2 inches - 24
Grissini sticks: 16
Cheese crackers: 16

Method: Peel and wash the carrot. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Lightly oil a baking tray. Put the carrot in the tray and sprinkle a bit of sea salt, pepper and olive oil Put in the oven for roasting, till they are soft and tender. Take out and cool.

Soak chickpeas overnight, drain the water. Put chickpeas to boil in fresh water with bay leaf and salt. Cook the peas till tender. Drain the chickpeas saving a little of boiling water and cool.

Place the cooked carrot, chickpeas, garlic in the jar of a food processor. Churn lightly. Then add the lemon, tahini, cooking liquor if required. Now blend in Pulse mode with frequent stops. Finish with olive oil and lemon juice Garnish with paprika and English parsley.

Arrange the dip in mezze bowl and arrange the pita, savoury crackers or lavash.