Hard day? Have some cake for Carrot Cake Day

Carrot Cake Day was yesterday (Wednesday) and, as with Chocolate Cake Day, we have decided to give you various options on slightly different carrot cakes.

These are our favourite recipes.

Yummy-Scrummy Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

175g treacle sugar

175ml sunflower oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

140g grated carrot (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 (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

For the frosting:

175g icing sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

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 cross-ways, 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 -only stop mixing when everything is evenly combined. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre.

Cool in the tin for five 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, you want the icing about as runny as single cream.

Set the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.

Source: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/

Mum’s carrot cake recipe

Ingredients for the cake:

3 eggs

250ml oil

250ml flour

250ml sugar

8ml baking powder

3ml baking soda

8ml cinnamon

3ml salt

500ml finely grated carrots

60ml grated pecan nuts

60ml fine pineapple (optional)

For the topping:

90g cream

90g smooth cottage cheese

180g sieved icing sugar

3ml vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat oven to 160°C .

Mix the eggs and oil together. Keep mixing until it’s almost light and fluffy in colour.

Add the sieved dry ingredients and mix well.

Now add the grated carrots and pecan nuts. If you choose to add pineapple to your cake this is your cue.

Mix everything together well.

Pour the batter into a sprayed pan. The batter fits nicely into a 23cm cake pan, but if you would like to use a 20cm pan, it will yield two cakes and these can either be stacked or served separately.

Bake the carrot cake in your preheated oven at 160°C for about 45 minutes.

While your cake is baking, you can make the topping.

Beat the cream until soft peaks form. They should be nice and stiff.

Add in the cottage cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence.

Once your carrot cake is cooled, pour the topping over the cake.

If you would prefer a thicker glaze, add more icing sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

Source: www.yuppiechef.com/

Carrot Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

1½ cups vegetable oil

2 cups of brown sugar

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecan nuts

½ cup raisins

Cream cheese icing:

500g cream cheese

2 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

100g butter softened

Method:

Preheat oven to 175°C.

Grease two round baking tins or one 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla essence.

Sieve the flour, baking soda and baking powder into the bowl.

Add the cinnamon and salt and beat together.

Stir in the carrots, raisins and pecan nuts.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake at 175°C for 40 – 50 minutes (insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, when it comes out clean the cake is ready).

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before icing.

Add all the ingredients for the cream cheese icing into a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.

Ice the cooled cake and decorate with whole pecan nuts and dust with cinnamon.

Source: www.justeasyrecipes.co.za/