Two Square Feet

You know what makes me crazy, other than the daily quest for butter? What is driving me mad is the postage stamp sized kitchen I work in. You know what I mean? Many kitchens in Salalah, unless you make mad money and can afford a massive villa, are really tiny. I have less than a square meter of counter space.

The goddess of the kitchen: my new Molineaux mixer. This amount of counter space is typical of Salalah flats. This is also last night's carrot cake. Not too shabby eh?

Since moving here, I've asked people what is UP with these tiny kitchens. Typically, fellow expats tell me it's because Omanis don't cook. Either they eat out all the time, or they have a servant who does the cooking, and therefore they don't give a hoot about comfortable kitchens. I'm not buying it. Why? Because I teach Omanis. And I talk to them about their lives. Their mothers often cook meals. Yes, there is far too much fast food consumed in this city. The amount of zinger burgers and chips (french fries) sold out of those "coffee shop fruit juicer" shops is amazing. Now that we have a food court at the mall with MacDonalds, Hardees, KFC, and so on, the fast food problem will expand. Along with our waistlines.

But the kitchen. I haven't figured it out yet. Every space in my kitchen is organized for maximum utility. It took me several weeks and now that I bake a cake every day, all I can say is YIKES!! My husband came home yesterday and saw the small explosion of sugar, flour, and baking paraphernalia in our little space and went and prayed for patience in Arabic. 

Today's Cake

Nanny's Full of Love Glazed Carrot Cake

The original. Okay..this is fabbity, but my cake didn't resemble this at all.

My cake. 

• 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup(s) canola oil
• 1 1/4 cup(s) buttermilk
• 3 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup(s) crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 cup(s) carrots, grated
• 1 cup(s) pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup(s) raisins
• 1/2 cup(s) sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 tablespoon(s) light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 ounce(s) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cup(s) sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoon(s) fresh lemon juice
• 1. Make the cake:
     Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and fit with two circles of parchment paper. Butter the sides and paper and dust with flour. Set aside. Sift the flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the eggs, oil, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 2 cups granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together until combined, about 2 minutes, and stir into the flour mixture. Add the pineapple, carrots, pecans, raisins, and coconut and stir to combine. Divide the batter between the pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
  2. Make the glaze:
     Eight minutes before the cakes are done, bring the corn syrup, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup butter to a medium boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour all of the glaze over the hot cakes in their pans. Cool cakes in pans, on a wire rack.
  3. Make cream cheese frosting:
     Place the cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup butter in a bowl and beat, using a mixer set on high speed, for about 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium, add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, and beat until smooth.
  4. Assemble the cake:
     Unmold cakes and place 1 layer on a cake plate. Spread a third of the cream cheese frosting over the layer, top with the remaining layer. Frost cake top and sides with remaining frosting.
  5. I deleted the glaze because wettish cake yaks me out. It was still a very nice, very rich cake. And so healthy with all the fruit and vegetables. Hooray!