Lots and Lots of Cake... Onto Carrot Cake

Next on my baking spree was carrot cake... 

This is based on a Hummingbird Recipe which is not my usual carrot cake recipe(which I can't find) but I liked because it seemed so easy to remember & scale up & down. Be warned, however, they come out appearing rather flat (although not in a dense way). Glued together with cream cheese icing two are perfectly fine if you are having a smaller party or like me, have several types of cake on offer, I understand why the original recipe calls for 3 layers for more of a single statement cake. (Next time I might experiment with some more raising agents, will alter accordingly if it’s an improvement). I was told by a couple of people that this was the best carrot cake they had ever eaten which may just have been the champagne cocktails talking, but it is certainly very moist, moreish & yummy.

Yummy Carrot Cake

Oven 170C

Per layer (multiply as you see fit)

100g Butter

100g Soft Brown Suger

100g Plain Flour

110g Grated Carrots

2 eggs

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarb

¼ tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of salt

Raisins - optional, I really like them as I think it adds extra moisture and some bursting sweetness, while other people prefer walnuts although personally they are a little oily for me, but chuck in whatever takes your fancy

1)     Combine eggs, vanilla essence and butter and beat together

2)     Sieve the rest of the dry ingredients together and mix in well.

3)     Add in the grated carrots and raisins and stir in by hand until well dispersed.

4)     Pour into greased & lined 20cm tin and bake for about 20/25 mins, or until the top bounces back.

As you can see from my photo I iced my cake with an equally yummy cream cheese icing, which is one of my favourites, but as I tend to make it up as I am doing it I have never actually weighed the ingredients. Next time I will and will put up the recipe, one quick tip though: when you are making cream cheese icing you don’t tend to want it too sweet so remember to add a good squeeze of lemon to cut through some of the icing suger and bring out the savoury qualities of the cream cheese.