Carroty Cake Goodness

Please excuse me if I fill the keyboard with crumbs while I write this...



I have spent the morning baking with my little girl and just had to share my recipe with you.  A nice simple one to make.  Simple as it is, this is the most deliciously moist carrot cake I have ever eaten.  I have not iced the one I've made as I don't have a particularly sweet tooth, and sometimes really sugary things make my teeth squeak!  But I have included a vanilla cream cheese frosting recipe for special occasions or for if you're just feeling a little naughty!

 

This cake is very moist and should keep well in an air tight container.  Usually cakes don't last long in my house.  If you live alone, still like to bake and hate seeing a cake sitting going to waste, I would suggest splitting the mixture and filling two loaf tins.  One of the loaf cakes can then go in a sealed bag or box in the freezer til you've finished the first.  You can also pre-slice the cake and freeze it flat or with pieces of baking paper in between, so you can defrost lunchbox portions of cake as you want them.



 

Ingredients:

175ml sunflower/ veg oil

100g light muscovado sugar

75g caster sugar

3 eggs

175g grated carrots

125g sultanas

175g self raising flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp mixed spice

 

 

 

 

Method:

 

1.  Preheat oven to 180oc/ gas mark 4.

 

2.  Grease and line a 23cm/9" square tin.

 

3.  Gradually add eggs and oil to sugars until combined.  I mixed mine in with a whisk here, as I forgot to bring my eggs to room temperature and my muscovado sugar had gone all clumpy (not sure if that is the technical term.)

 

4.  Stir in grated carrots and sultanas.

 

5.  Sift in flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, and fold through evenly using a spatula.

 

6.  Scrape mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 40-45 mins.

 

7.  Cake is baked when well risen and springs back when touched.

 

8.  Leave to cool if frosting and get the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge, to bring to room temperature. (see below)  

 

 

Frosting:

 

60g butter (at room temp)

125g cream cheese (at room temp)

125g icing sugar

1/2tsp vanilla extract

 

1.  Beat together butter, cheese and vanilla.  Don't be tempted to add more vanilla extract to the frosting as it will only go too runny! 

 

2.  Gradually add icing sugar (so it doesn't all go up in the air) and mix until thoroughly combined.

 

3.  Spread frosting over cake roughly, using a flat knife.

 

 

Get creative:

 

If you want to try making the cake a little different you could add the zest of an orange to the cake mixture at step 4. and swap the vanilla extract for a little orange juice in the frosting.