I miss winter. I really do. Even more so because spring is stuck in a limbo not being able to decide whether to warm up or stay cool. Winter this year was even more exciting than previous years because I discovered to my absolute glee a herbivorous creature called Mr. Periwinkle.
Now before you all think that I’ve lost my marbles, let me assure you that Mr. Periwinkle is a dapper purple carrot and he does indeed exist in the bustling lanes of Marketville in the heart of Organic Town. WhAt??*!! SAy Again*!??!* No, I am not crazy and you probably don’t know about a lot of things that go on in my whimsy mind. A few years ago I started creating daily vector characters with elaborate story scenarios on
my design blog. I brought to life sketches and ideas I had been tooling around with all my life, the dearest of them all – The Organic Town series & The Kraak Eggson Mysteries. Every time a fruit, vegetable or even pantry ingredient took my fancy, I would develop a fun interesting character with a quick short story and design it in Illustrator. I ended up with the mayor of Organic Town
Mr Couch Potato, his trusty bodyguard
Karate (the meanest soba noodle in Ramenville), his arch nemesis
Stripper The Onion,
Kraak Eggson (Battery’s very own detective with a yolky smile),
Scrambie the love of his life,
Pennechi the best sauce roller in Pastra, the hilarious
gender bender Daisy and the very sinister
Mr. Moovac.
So when I saw a purple carrot for the first time ever, I had to vectorize him! And so Mr. Periwinkle was born. Mr. Periwinkle is a showman and runs the infamous Green Circus. Oh the composting tricks on display and the death defying eco crisis acts are enough to make you start digging!! Isn’t he dapper?
What is the best thing you can make with carrots either orange or purple? Carrot Cake, right? So that is exactly what I did. I grated the beautiful purple carrots to get delightful little purple shreds and baked them in the most delectable, most moist carrot cake ever. To jazz things up, I added some grated orange carrot to some orange carotina oil and used that in my recipe.
PURPLE CARROT CAKE
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Baking Time – 60 minutes
Serves – 10
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup carotina oil
1/2 cup grated orange carrot
2 cups grated purple carrot
1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped
1/2 cup sultanas, chopped
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Method
Preheat oven to 180C(350F). Grease and line a 22cm (9inch) round cake tin with non-stick baking paper. Mix orange carrot and carotina oil in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the sugar and beat with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix some more.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger over the sugar mixture. Add the carrot, pecan and sultanas and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared tin and bake in the pre heated oven for 60 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Serve warm or cool completely and spread with cream cheese frosting.
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I buy purple and yellow carrots all the time from the farmers market, love them but never thought about making cake with them (perhaps because I almost never eat cake), great idea!
Gaby´s last [type] ..Review: est. (Let’s Do Lunch)
I had no idea you are into so many things. You are one talented girl my friend
Purple is my happy color and Mr Periwinkle just stole my heart.. SIGH!!
kankana´s last [type] ..Achari Murg/Tangy Pickled Chicken
aww thanks Kankana! I love all my characters dearly too .. like my little babies!
Tremendous feat that is awe inspiring!
Anita Menon´s last [type] ..Kadala Masala Curry, a Childhood Favourite
Purple carrot cake…what fun! It always seems that the purple carrots I find only have purple outsides, but get lighter toward the centers. Yours looks so dapper-ly, throughly purple. And the cake sounds delicious!
Joyti´s last [type] ..Whole Wheat Honey Tea Cake
I wonder if there are different strains of purple carrots. There must be, because I have seen some spectacularly muave-fuschia coloured carrots on the internet whereas mine were definitely more violet and dark.
Your mind certainly sounds like a delightful place to be – have you ever thought of writing children’s books (seriously, have you)? Those vector dudes would be a GREAT book – I want a copy.
Miss Piggy´s last [type] ..New York has other things besides food. HUH?
he he thanks Mel! I have, I seriously have! I have a sketch book full of ideas, short stories and wacky characters that I am waiting to publish sometime in the distant future
*fingers crossed*
As always just stunning photos Sneh! I love the idea of transforming the colour through the carrots
And I love your chopping board too! I have been looking for one like it but alas haven’t been fortunate enough to find one.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella´s last [type] ..Hitting a Sugary High Across Sydney!
Thanks Lorraine. I bought this one from Wheel And Barrow (in Hornsby), maybe check out their other branches? Their Acacia Wood range is fantastic! http://www.wheelandbarrow.com.au
love the illustration ! your whimsical stories are totally entertaining
say hello to mr. periwinkle from me 
wish i could find him around here 
a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..{ Sippity Sip Fridays } Kiwi Coconut Delight
Mr. Periwinkle says Hello to you too
Mr Periwinkle is so cute!!! I love your illustrations. You definitely have a talent there.
Your cake looks fantastic too. I love purple carrots, and it’s great to see that they are becoming more readily available. I even noticed them for sale at Woolworths tonight!
Jennifer (Delicieux)´s last [type] ..Spice Roasted Pineapple Ice Cream
Karate the (meanest) soba noodle? Adorable! Love the way you think!
Gagan´s last [type] ..Have a great weekend….
I’ve never seen purple carrots
Purple carrot cake looks so unexpected!
Melanie´s last [type] ..Easy Plum Pie Recipe – How To Make Plum Pie
Only you would have thought of using purple carrots in a cake..I cant think beyond kaanji (sour drink) when I see them! Since carrot cake is my most fav cake…this is straight up my try list..LOVE it!
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy´s last [type] ..Almond – Cardamom Cookies (Eggless)
I’ve never seen carotina oil before, I’m curious now as to how it tastes.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen´s last [type] ..Carrot and Watercress Salad with Orange Blossom Water | A False Start
i really like your food pictures and want to invite you to try out tastingspot.com. it’s for anyone that just wants another place to submit photos and share it will other foodies. It’s still in beta version, but would love for you to start adding some photos and help get it going.
Your talent is awe-inspiring. Seriously! Wish I could get a peek into that busy mind of yours and have fun with all these characters dancing around
Never seen purple carrots — lovely.
Nash at Plateful´s last [type] ..Black and White Wednesday: A time for reflection
EEEE scrambie is so cute!!!!
Such a beautiful carrot cake! Great use of the purple carrots! Looks rustic, moist and soft
chinmayie @ love food eat´s last [type] ..Indian Winged bean Salad with Fresh Coconut for ‘One Green Planet’!
Purple carrot cake… what a good idea. love how the colour comes out in the cake as well.
penny aka jeroxie´s last [type] ..New Schweppes Cocktail Revolution
I adore the colour of this! Iv never had purple carrots before but freakin LOVE that you used them in a cake
Nic@diningwithastud´s last [type] ..Brasserie Bread class: Artisan Baking – The Art of Sourdough
Absolutely love the purple color coming out in the crumb. And your characters are fabulous! What a great way to keep the creative juices flowing
yasmeen (wandering spice)´s last [type] ..Soubih el Sit bi Djaj: Chicken + Phyllo "Ladies Fingers"
I love Mr Periwinkle and I have *never* heard of purple carrots. Awesome!
Amanda @ Traditional Foods´s last [type] ..Annatto Seed: Nature’s Food Coloring
What a fabulous idea! There’s a local grocery store near me that carries carrots in an assortment of colors. It never would have occurred to me to make a fun carrot cake, but now it seems so obvious! I’ll have to try this.
Jen @ Savory Simple´s last [type] ..Williams-Sonoma Holiday Giveaway
Wow purple carrots?!..and carotina oil?! wish they were available here..interesting recipe, it looks delish