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Carrot cake
is my husband’s favourite cake and his birthday is in November so it seemed
appropriate to have this as my monthly blog recipe this month. I think this is
the best carrot cake I’ve ever made. It’s tasty, moist and it’s easy too, I
managed to make this with new six week old baby Hector strapped in his sling.
The original recipe came from the Hairy Bikers but as usual I’ve adapted and
simplified it slightly. As usual the best cakes use the best ingredients so get
good quality flour (I always use Doves Farm) and the freshest of free range
eggs.
Ingredients:
7oz self
raising flour
3oz sultanas
3oz walnuts
(broken up)
Zest of ½ an
orange
1tsp ground
cinnamon
1tsp baking
powder
½ tsp bicarb
Pinch salt
3 eggs
6fl oz
sunflower oil
6oz soft,
light brown sugar
7 oz
carrots, grated
For the icing:
5oz icing
sugar
5oz butter
6 oz cream
cheese
1tsp orange
juice
Zest of ½ an
orange
Method:
Line and
grease two cake tins and preheat oven to 160C/Gas Mark 4
Sift the
flour, baking powder and bicarb into a bowl. Add sultanas, walnuts, orange zest
and cinnamon and mix.
Put eggs,
oil and sugar into another bowl or jug and whisk until smooth.
Make a well
in your dry mixture and pour in the egg mixture and grated carrots. Mix well,
making sure there’s no lumps of flour. Pour into your tins and bake for about
35/40 mins.
When you
take out the oven leave to cool in tins for five minutes before you remove them
onto a cooling rack.
I make my
icing in the food processor. It’s less messy and much quicker. Whiz the butter
and icing sugar together first then add the orange juice, zest and cream
cheese. Decorate the cake when it’s completely cooled. Sprinkle some chopped
walnuts on the top. I would have taken a picture of the finished cake to show
you but most it got scoffed before I got a chance!
