As much as I fancy myself a baker - I'm not. If I'm honest, I think I'm slowly losing the skill - the art - I once possessed. I remember when I was younger, maybe around fourteen, I would wake up on a Saturday morning, go downstairs and using the 4oz method (taught to me by a lovely family friend, Sarah), I would whip up a cake that always (always) ended up not burning, not sticking to the sides of the cake pan and tasting really, really good - if I say so myself.
In recent years I haven't been so lucky, but it hasn't stopped me from trying. And using tried and tested recipes.
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
DRY
|
WET
|
420g Flour (2/3 Wholegrain, 1/3 Plain)
|
415ml Sunflower Oil
|
200g Granulated White
Sugar
|
227g of Crushed
Pineapple
|
2 Teaspoons of
Baking Powder
|
2 Teaspoons of
Vanilla Extract
|
1 Teaspoon of
Baking Soda
|
2 ½ Medium Sized Carrots,
Grated
|
2 Teaspoons of
Ground Cinammon
|
3 Large Eggs plus One Egg Yolk
|
1 Teaspoon of
Ground Nutmeg (Optional)
|
30g Raisins (Optional)
|
240g Packed Brown
Sugar
|
30 Walnuts or Pistachios (Optional)
|
½ Teaspoon of Salt
(Himilayan, Table, ANY)
|
CREAM CHEESE ICING
225g of Cream Cheese
110g of Unsalted Butter
260g Icing Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
METHOD
Start by preheating your oven to 175C/350F and by lining and greasing two 9-inch cake pan with oil and greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Whisk briefly then set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk the eggs plus the yolk and sugar, then once well combined slowly incorporate the oil so that you are left with a thick, glossy, smooth mixture. Add the crushed pineapple and vanilla, then stir briefly to incorporate.
Add your thick, glossy mess to your large bowl of dry ingredients and combine the two with a spatula so that you don't knock out any air from your wet mixture. When nearly combined, add the grated carrots, and your optional walnuts and raisins if you want to.
Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared baking tins, slip them into the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a knife or skewer comes out clean.
While the cakes are cooling, in another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and the room temperature softened butter for around 5 minutes to thoroughly mix the two and incorporate some air. Next, sift in the icing sugar and whisk in (carefully) until well combined. Add your salt, and vanilla, then set aside.
I won't give you instructions on how to dress your cake, as I feel this part you can make completely your own. Have fun with it, and whatever you do, don't get crumbs in your frosting.
I hope you enjoy it!
Christina x
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