A cake for the Easter bunny

Seeing that she published a digital booklet of sweet recipes, Flabber-cakes, we wanted to hear from Christelle Tanielian. From 2012 to 2016, the food stylist, photographer, recipe designer and blogger wrote the “Cooking Workshop” column in The Press. She published the book Whole in 2014. For this festive weekend, she offers an ultra-simple carrot cake for the Easter bunny!

Eve Dumas
The Press

A little everywhere, the confined ones began to make sourdough bread, to jog, to tinker with all kinds of things. Christelle made cakes. As her little Oscar was only 1 year old at the start of the pandemic, the new mother did not get into croquembouche, opera or strawberries. Instead, she opted for very simple recipes, which are made in a single bowl, in a jiffy.

“I baked cakes as a coping mechanism. But nothing complicated. The kind of cupcake that can be canned during a baby nap! I wasn’t going to start whisking egg whites,” says Christelle.

Flabber-cakes

Christine Tanielian

“In these funny times we are currently living through, simplicity is good,” she continues. I didn’t want any fancy ingredients. Flour, eggs, a fat which can be any vegetable oil or butter, sugar, yogurt… the base, what. The cakes in the booklet are the ones I’ve cooked the most in the past two years. »

When she is not feeding her site christelleisflabbergasting.com, the versatile creator of beauty and goodness “invents” recipes for various clients, does styling, gives culinary or photographic workshops, among other things. More and more, she also feels the need to help.

Whether by donating part of the profits from the sale of his book, his booklets or other articles offered on his site to organizations, or by giving his time to the Olo foundation, for example (which helps pregnant women and vulnerable families), Christelle wants to make her contribution to alleviate the ambient distress.

In all conscience, she has chosen a life that allows her to find a balance between work, family and time for herself. “I don’t have a career plan. I’m more the type to let myself go, see what comes. Back when her blog was taking off, the one who made a living as a graphic designer says she had to make a choice between “staying small and artisanal or trying to be a Beatle.”

In the end, she didn’t see herself as the Beatle or Martha Stewart at all. This observation was made gradually and was confirmed when she became a mother and understood all the burden that this implied.

Flabber-cakes was done between two contracts, between two waves of COVID-19, with the child at daycare and his health holding up! “I said to myself go! It’s now or never that I can do a little project for myself. »

In just over two months, the recipes were developed, tested, photographed, written, layouts, etc. And the best part is that these cakes also come to the rescue of people who want to keep it simple, but delicious.

Carrot, walnut and orange zest cake

Carrot cake is a great classic, but it’s up to everyone to put their own twist on it. Christelle likes hers with a little spelled flour, olive oil, lots of cinnamon and orange zest. You will find this recipe in Flabber-cakes, but in “loaf” format. The quantities have been doubled to make a layer cake a little more festive, Easter obliges. It’s up to you to decorate it as you wish. Here, planted carrot tops and a few sprinkled walnuts.

For 2 round molds 20 cm (8 in) in diameter

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 to 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 600 g (4 compact cups) finely grated carrots (6 to 8 large carrots)
• 6 large eggs
• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
• 250 ml (1 cup) olive or canola oil
• 1 C. pure vanilla extract
• 270 g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 130 g (1 cup) wholemeal spelled flour
• 14 g (1 tsp) baking soda
• 1 good pinch of fine salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 170 g (1 1/2 cups) chopped walnut kernels

For the icing

• 250g (1 cup) cream cheese
• 30 g (2 tbsp.) softened unsalted butter
• 300 g (2 1/2 cups) icing sugar

To decorate

• 3 carrot tops and a few walnut kernels in pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly oil two 20-cm (8-inch) round non-stick pans and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, add the grated carrots, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir until combined.

3. Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, orange zest and walnuts. Mix just enough so that the dough is smooth, fluid and homogeneous.

4. Divide the batter into the reserved moulds. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean and dry. Let cool on a wire rack before unmolding.

5. If desired, using a bread knife, cut and remove the top from the cooled cakes to make them flat. On the serving plate, invert a first cake.

6. Prepare the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer or electric mixer on low speed, whip cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the icing sugar and continue beating until all the sugar is incorporated and the frosting is smooth and creamy.

7. Using a silicone spatula or an angled spatula, spread half of the frosting over the first cake. Cover with the second upside-down cake. Spread the rest of the frosting.

8. Peel the carrot tops and cut them into pieces about 5 cm (2 in.). Decorate the top of the cake by lightly pressing the carrots into the batter. Sprinkle the walnut kernels around the carrots. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.