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Tuesday 18 September 2012

Yummy Carrot Cake

So I've tried it again. I decided to test my Domestic Goddess abilities by attempting a carrot cake. I've never made one before, as you can probably see by the photo, and the end result was, well, kind of messy. But I've been assured by my family that it tastes scrummy. Hopefully they aren't trying to save my feelings, and secretly feeding it to my Labrador once my back is turned. 
As I've already stated, I'm far from being Nigella Lawson's twin. But I have a love of cake, and so I often try simple recipes to get my sugary fix. I was a bit daunted at first trying to bake carrot cake. I couldn't, and still don't, understand how you really can put carrot into a cake mix. I mean carrot! As in the vegetable! Really? But I guess it works, and this simple recipe was very easy to follow. 
What you will need is:

  • 175g light muscovado sugar
  • 175ml sunflower oil
  • 3 large eggs , lightly beaten
  • 140g grated carrots (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 
  1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 180C. Oil the base and sides of a loaf tin (I won't pretend I know what size tin I used because I don't. Told you I wasn't Mary Berry). I often grease the cake tin with butter. This seems to work. 
  2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
  3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Then lightly mix all the ingredients. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. I often use a sharp knife to check the middle too. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out,  and cool on a wire rack.
Make sure the cake is completely cooled before you add the icing. For this you will need:

  • 175g icing sugar
  • 1½-2 tbsp orange juice
Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Apparently you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Then drizzle over the cake. I also decided to add some orange and lemon zest.

And Viola!! A scrummy carrot cake

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