I love documenting the ordinary days as well as the adventures we go on. Some of these moments at home are among my favourite memories so I always have my camera handy. It's always the little details that get me, like the look of concentration on Priya's face here, her little pinky finger standing to attention, the way she holds the carrots...
We had a lot of carrots to use up last week so.... carrot soup and carrot cake of course! Can you believe I forgot to take a photo of my finished cake!? I can assure you it was tasty though, the recipe I use is below these family documentary style photos of my gorgeous assistant doing an awesome job of peeling all those carrots!
That Pinky!
She was so happy just working away chatting to me, she declared it was the "best day ever!" We had a great conversation which I actually managed to film too - the pros of using my camera to shoot video, she didn't realise and clam up as she often does when she sees me recording her. She's so used to me taking photos at this point and had almost forgotten I was doing so as I held my camera at my hip using the screen to compose my images.
My tricks making kids and families feel comfortable in front of my lens has definitely helped and adapted while photographing my own family! ;)
My carrot cake recipe:
Ingredients: 175g light muscovado sugar 175ml sunflower oil 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 140g grated carrot (about 3 medium) 100g raisins grated zest of 1 large orange 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour) Method: Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. Tip the sugar, oil and eggs into a large mixing bowl. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into the bowl. Mix everything together, the mixture will be soft and almost runny. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
For the icing, my go to recipe for cream cheese icing is Nigella Lawson's original recipe from her epic Chocolate Guinness Cake - my all time favourite, although I use the cheat's method to make it!
300 grams cream cheese (I use Philadelphia, don't use the reduced fat stuff, it's too watery)
150 grams icing sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
125 millilitres double cream
Method:
Measure the icing sugar into a food processor and whizz it up to remove any lumps (much less messy than sieving the powdered sugar!), add the cream cheese and cornflour and whizz again until combined, then add the double cream while it's on, this thickens it up and makes it utterly delicious!!! Easy peasy and soooooo good!
I spread the icing between the cakes and all over the top and sides usually - the more the better as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy!