Baking in Seoul- Carrot & Tangerine Cake- Slowbox Review

Kitchens in most Seoul apartments are VERY dinky. If you are a teacher in Korea (like I am) you will likely have received accommodation from your boss or have received a housing budget.

Either way, most kitchens here do not come with an oven. Most Korean food (not all) is prepared on the gas range or via a fermentation process. So where does that leave us baking lovers? Longing for yummy cake and paying WAY too much for one slice of mediocre processed cream cake. NAH THANKS. Of course you can find delicious cake in Seoul, but it comes at a cost and is not always in the same hood as you are. I should do a blog post on the best cake in Seoul?

This brings me to point where I give you some advice. Buy a small oven. It will change your life in Korea!! Not only can you make delicious grilled veggies but you can also have cake WHENEVER you desire. You would think an oven would be expensive, but, you can pick up some second hand on the second hand group on facebook, or online. I recommend the following websites. I have typed in the search bar for you so all you need to do is click the link.

Where to buy an oven?

• I bought this Bowmann 22L oven from 10×10 and have been very happy with it. It was 159,000원 71,550원 55% discount. YAY.

 

Where to buy ingredients?

Online options

 
Offline Options

 This past weekend I felt like some carrot cake. I got all the ingredients and even bought two of the CUTEST cake tins from Coupang. Here is the link. I was all ready to get to baking and suddenly I realized, I don’t have a grater to grate carrots. To be honest, grating things, well, grates my cheese. I really dislike grating things, so maybe that is why I don’t own a grater. How was I going to make a carrot cake without any grated carrots?! This is when I needed to think quickly and decided to try a whole new method. and it worked SO SO SO WELL!

Carrot and Jeju Tangerine Cake

(just in time for summer)

I used this recipe from Inspired table.

But as mentioned, I tweaked it as I dont have a grater. I also did not use raisons, and added the juice of two jeju tangerines.

DIRECTIONS

• • MAKE BATTER

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176C). Grease round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper then grease the top of the paper. Or, grease and flour the bottom and sides of both pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, crushed walnuts and the cinnamon until well blended.

In a food processor (because I don’t own a grater) add the carrots (chopped in chunks) the oil, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined.

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

• • • BAKE CAKE

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the tops of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean; 35 to 45 minutes. I used the tins I mentioned above and could make 2, which i cut in half, producing 4 halves. I had some left over batter and made 4 cupcakes.

Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks, peel off parchment paper and cool completely.

• • • • TO FINISH

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a handheld mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.

Beat in the powdered sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time until fluffy. Pour in cream and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Chill covered until ready to frost cake.

When the cake layers are completely cool, frost the top of one cake layer, place the other cake layer on top. Decoratively swirl the top of the cake with remaining frosting, leaving the sides un frosted. Scatter dried tangerine on the top.

I had some left over batter, used it to make cupcakes