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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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