Monday, July 02, 2007

For Johanna: Carrot Cake


My very favourit-ist carrot cake of all time. Made again, yesterday.

Johanna: you have to follow this to the tee. I've made slight variations - all to detrimental effect. In fact, the picture of the cake above didn't work out because I used all white flour and no nuts. Didn't turn out at all.

Carrot Cake

175g brown sugar
150mL sunflower oil
2 eggs
100g white flour
100g wholemeal/barley/rye flour (whichever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3 medium sized carrots - peeled and grated (no doubt using your Thermomix *jealous*)
50g chopped nuts
1 orange, zested and juiced
Additional 75g brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius. Beat together the brown sugar and oil. Add in the zest of the orange and the eggs, beating between each additional. Beat until lighter in colour and slightly foamy. Tip in the flours, baking powder and spice and mix until well combined. Fold through the carrot and mixed nuts. Transfer into two prepared sandwhich tins and bake for about 30-45 minutes until cooked (you know when ;).

While it is baking prepare an orange syrup by slowly heating the orange juice and additional brown sugar over a low heat. When the cakes are removed from the tins (after cooling slightly) poke holes all over them and pour over the syrup.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

50g softened butter
3 cups icing sugar (I know I'm terribly inconsistant with my measurements - try 500mL)
175g cream cheese
Juice from half an orange

Whip together all of the ingredients until light and fluffy. Frost the cake with a layer of the icing between the layers of cake.

Let me know how you get on!

P.S. I'll hopefully be moblogging from the Henley Regatta. See you there - hopefully the weather won't be bad...

P.P.S. We've decided not to go to Henley Regatta - We've got to start putting our heads down and start saving money for Le Grande Tour in November... Besides - we have a mower to buy :(

9 comments:

Helene said...

I would have never thought of using rye flour, but I am willing to give barley a try. Very interesting recipe.

Bonnie said...

Hi Helene!

Any course sort of flour will do - rye being one of them... The very original recipe called for all wholemeal flour and I felt it lacked a certain lightness - but when I took it to all white flour - it just became a 'claggy' mess. So the combo works out really well!

Let me know how you get on.

Bonnie said...

Err coarse, I mean ;)

thepassionatecook said...

ha! i shall be countering this with a carrot cake recipe my mum just brought me from austria - in fact, i will give both a try! my mum's version has a lot of almonds and a chocolate icing... mmmh! but i will definitely give yours a go as well.
have loads of carrots in the fridge, hope i'll get time before i leave for austria.
shame i won't be seeing you in henley, we'll have to discuss the finger food as soon as i get back from austria on the 27/8!

Maggie said...

I love carrot cake (any recipe in fact will do for me). I won't be grating the carrots in a Thermomix though!!

Paola Westbeek said...

Yum! That cake looks fantastic. I think carrot cake does it for me even more so than chocolate cake!

paola

San Francisco Photos said...

Mmmm, love a good carrot cake. I'm going to see if I can make this soon. Thanks for the recipe!

Annemarie said...

I've never had a carrot cake with orange cream cheese before, but am now wondering what it would be like. Great idea!

Jeanne said...

Oh I do love a good carrot cake. In fact, I insisted on having carrot cake for our wedding cake! This once looks great - intrigued by the orange cream frosting.

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