Carrot Cake

We’re having a cake bake fundraiser in the office on Wednesday for “Hospice at Home” who were wonderful when a colleague was dying of cancer.  It also happens to be my birthday so I’ll be killing two birds with one stone when I get out the mixing bowls tonight.  I’m going to make carrot cakes as they are pretty fool proof and most people seem to enjoy them, especially when they have cream cheese topping.  I have a variety of recipes but the one I bake the most is below.  It uses oil so is actually very light and moist.


CARROT CAKE

Cake

7oz light muscovado sugar

4 fl oz sunflower oil

3 eggs

3 medium grated carrots

4oz raisins

zest of 1 orange

7oz self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

0.5 tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Frosting

7oz icing sugar

4oz cream cheese

2oz butter

1 tbsp orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut two long strips the width of the tin and put each strip crossways, covering the base and sides of the tin, with a double layer in the base

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. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. 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. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)

Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Set the cake on a serving plate and cover with the topping.