This savory carrot cake is made rich and moist with feta cheese and is “frosted” with red onion rings and a dollop of minted yogurt. It’s made festive with a jaunty sprig of fresh mint. Making it fit for any celebration.
Savory Carrot Cake with Feta and Cumin
Print This Recipe Yield 6–8Source Inspired by Yotam OttolenghiPublished
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperture, plus more for greasing pan)
- 1 small onion (peeled and grated, juice retained)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3–4 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3–4 carrots (about 7 ounces, peeled and grated)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 3 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2/3 cup cup milk
- 5 ounce feta cheese (crumbled)
- 15–18 slice red onion rings (separated)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ½ clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- whole mint springs (for garnish)
Directions
Melt the butter in a small skillet set over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and its juice and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in cumin; set aside to cool.
Set the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan; line with parchment paper then butter the parchment. Toss in the sesame seeds and roll them around the insides of the pan so that they stick to the sides. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in the cooled, cooked onion, grated carrot, and 1 tablespoon mint. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, then mix into the flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in feta and pour into the prepared pan. Artfully arrange the onion rings on top.
Bake in the heated oven for about 60 minutes, depending on the size and dimension of the pan until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. Set on a wire rack to cool in the pan for five minutes, then use the parchment to pull out the cake to cool completely on the wire rack.
Meanwhile, mix together yogurt, remaining ½ cup loosely packed mint, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until almost ready to serve; bring to room temperature before serving.
Serve slices of cake garnished with mint sprigs and a dollop of minted yogurt.
