Bake of the Month - November - Carrot Cake

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!

Bake of the Month - October - Millionaires Shortbread

I absolutely LOVE millionaires shortbread. Problem is it’s the most calorific thing you can eat and has no ‘goodness’ in whatsoever. So, as a breastfeeding mother I have the perfect excuse. I need around an extra 500 calories a day and, as my son is a big old baby (8lb 7oz at birth, weighing in at 10lb at just over three weeks old) I say ‘bring on the tasty treats’.  Oh, and they’re still good for those of you who aren’t breastfeeding, you just might have to substitute a piece for say, an entire meal.

Ingredients:

For the base:

200g butter

200g digestive biscuits

For the caramel:

150g butter

150g light soft brown sugar

1 tin (397g) of condensed milk

For the topping:

Either 2 or 3 100g bars of chocolate (depending on how much chocolate topping you want!) one or two of dark and one of milk

Method:

Line a square tin with baking parchment. It’s a good idea to have the parchment coming up over the sides so you can lift it all out and cut into pieces when it’s done.

Melt the butter and whiz the biscuits in a food processor. Add melted butter and whisk again. Press evenly into your tin and set aside.

To make the caramel melt the butter and add the sugar, stir to combine making sure the sugar has melted into the butter. Add the condensed milk and bring to the boil, then simmer for 6-7 minutes, stirring all the time until thickened. If you get those horrid brown flecks from the bottom of the pan just sieve them out when your pour the caramel over the biscuit base. Chill for an hour.

Melt the chocolate together and pour over your caramel layer and chill again until set (about 4-5 hours). You can decorate how you please. I used gold lustre, dusting it on with a pastry brush. Or you could sprinkle with nuts while the chocolate is still soft, or melt white chocolate separately and pour on after the milk and dark, swirling it around to make a pattern. Or don’t do anything at all. It will still taste incredibly good, and will still be very bad for you!