How to make Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake?

For those of you who are unsure just what carrot cake is:

Carrot Cake is a lovely, rich, moist, sweet cake that tastes nothing like carrots.

However, carrots are used in this recipe, along with a host of other ingredients. This gives Carrot Cake a unique texture and flavour. Get the amounts wrong though and you could end up with a soggy mess.

Carrot cake can be made in round bun cases, small individual squares or as a large round or square cake. It can be shop bought and, though generally these are good, there is nothing to beat good home made carrot cake when you fancy a sweet treat.

The ingredients can vary a little and there is some leeway for those who do not like, for example, nuts such as pecans. These can be replaced with walnuts or simply omitted.

To my mind Carrot Cake is delicious and it looks as good as it tastes.

The carrot on the top of the cake is often made with coloured frosting.

Getting Started

Grate the Carrots and put to one side.
Pre-heat your oven to 160C or 140c for fan assisted ovens or set to mark 3 for gas ovens.
Grease a large oven proof dish or roasting tin(about 28 by 25cms in size)and line with greaseproof or baking paper.
Place the nuts onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for around 8 minutes. Less, maybe, but never for longer.
Put the orange zest into a bowl with the sultanas. There should be about two tablespoons of zest. Set this to one side and leave for about 20 minutes.

To Make

Into a large bowl, sift the flour and add the mixed spice and bicarbonate soda.
Add half of the nuts and all of the coconut
Place the eggs, sugar and oil into a large bowl and whisk until the sugar begins to dissolve.
To the egg mixture add the sultanas with their orange juice, the grated carrots and the flour mixture
When thoroughly mixed together pour this mixture into the baking tin or dish