Sweets for my sweet

Something that I find strange is that I developed a bit of a sweet tooth in the first weeks of pregnancy. I wonder if it is a reaction to the fact that my beloved and best friend, cheese, was pretty much off the menu for 9 months. Now, I know that the world of hard cheese is still an option, but it is the satisfaction of stinky cheese that has been perfectly ripened oozing when you cut it open that I missed dreadfully. Living in Belgium and taking numerous trips to France during my pregnancy meant that I felt very hard done by in the cheese stakes. I counted Brie, Camembert, Reblochon, and Bleu as my personal and closest friends.

So I wonder if I replaced one vice with another, especially as Belgium is also known for chocolate. In a week I think I indulged in about a baby's weight of sweet stuff, and at the time my embryo was only the size of a pea! If it has sugar, I have eaten it. It started with a longing for some Scottish shortbread and grew to include my Mum's christmas brack. I then moved on to chocolate, which meant devouring our precious supply of Cadbury chocolate (just in case the cadbury caramel wasn't enough, they make a mini cake version too which is heavenly) as well as enough Belgian mini eggs with various fillings to feed a small village of chocolate lovers. In the mornings I indulged in beautiful fresh flaky pastry of frangipane from our local bakery. In case all of that wasn't enough, I got the food processor going to grate enough carrots for an 8 inch square carrot cake on a regular basis. And don't forget the cream cheese frosting!

As I have now given up Belgian cheese and beer, I figure the sweet tooth won't kill me. Abstaining from two out of three ain't bad.

8" Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup of plain flour
1 cup of sugar (I use a half and half mix of light brown and dark brown sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
1-2 cups of grated carrot (I never use an exact quantity)
1 grated apple
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup of raisins

Method

1- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 160 degrees Celsius.
2- Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, oil and eggs together.
3- Stir in grated carrot, apple, chopped nuts and raisins.
4- Line an 8" square cake pan with baking paper.
5- Pour your cake batter into the cake pan and make sure it is distributed evenly.
6- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes until you get a clean toothpick when you check the middle.

I still have not found the perfect recipe for frosting this cake, I'll have to keep making the cake to try out various options!