About two years ago, I made the most delicious carrot cake (also known as passion cake) and for reasons known only to two-years-ago-me I didn’t blog it so I’ve been testing recipes to try and find it again. I tried out this recipe and it was alright – maybe even nice – but not quite what I was looking for.

You will need:
170ml vegetable oil
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g walnut pieces, chopped (I did mine through the food processor)
450g carrots (topped, tailed & grated)
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4, grease & line two sandwich tins. I always use my 8″ round tins.
Beat the eggs and add the oil, sugar and vanilla essence. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb and cinnamon into the liquid and combine before adding the carrots & walnuts. Make sure it’s mixed well then split equally between the tins. Bake for around 40 minutes until your cakes are silent or a skewer comes out clean.

Once the cakes were cooled I iced them using my favourite cream cheese icing.

If you try this, let me know what you think?

Posted under baking

Yet another offering from Fathers day for me – this time, the carrot cake I made for Bob’s Dad. David kindly shared his cake with us and although it was really tasty, for me it was a little too nutty. I’d make it again purely because it turned out so well!

You will need:
150g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
150g caster sugar
250g carrots, grated
100g shelled walnuts, finely chopped
150ml vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line an 18cm diameter round cake tin.
2) Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in the caster sugar, carrots and walnuts.
3) Pour in the corn oil, and add the eggs and vanilla essence. Stir to mix and keep stirring for a minute to let the egg mixture pull everything together.
4) Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of an oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven, leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
5) To frost the cake, I used a third of the icing from this recipe. Using a spatula, smooth a thin layer of the frosting across the sides and top of your cake to catch any crumbs before icing the cake to your taste.

Posted under baking, recipes

I love carrot cake. I could eat it day and night quite happily, and since the family are sickening rapidly of lemon drizzle cake I thought I’d try a different schtick.

Recipe
175ml vegetable oil
170g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g walnuts, chopped
225g carrots, peeled and grated
170g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

For the icing
170g cream cheese
100g butter
2 tsp lemon juice
225g icing sugar
chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line two 8inch round cake tins.
Combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat well, then add the walnuts and carrots. Mix in with the flour, bicarb, baking powder, cinnamon and salt then pour equally into the two tins.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pressed, a skewer comes out clean and the cake stops making little bubble noises.
Cool on a wire rack.
Add the butter to the cream cheese and beat until fluffy, before adding the icing sugar and creaming the mixture together. Add the lemon juice and beat well.
Spread the icing across the top of one of the cakes, and sandwich it with the other. Finish icing the cake and top with chopped nuts if you desire.

No pictures this week, sorry! I’ll add a photo next time I make it.

Posted under baking, recipes