Just what you need... 😘

Credit: david-calderon-1065259-unsplash.jpg

Nothing is better when you are feeling under the weather than a good friend delivering a homemade cake and stopping to gossip for a while.

So, with the intention of being that friend tomorrow and visiting my good friend Z, I set about revisiting some well received recipes. The most recent one being Mary Barry's Carrot and Walnut cake.

As always, I make a couple of little adjustments to fit what I have in the cupboard... but this one is a delight to make and delicious every time I've made it 😋

Now, I've made a Parsnip and Walnut Loaf Cake in the past which was similar and just as delicious, but today's lack of parsnips in the fridge mean it's carrots today.

Mary Berry's Carrot and Walnut Cake (with my own adjustments)

250ml sunflower oil

4 large eggs

225g light brown sugar

200g grated carrot

Measure and mix the following dry ingredients together in a bowl:

300g self raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

75g walnut pieces ( I don't chop them smaller because I like to come across one - its a good surprise! You can chop the walnuts to what ever size you like)

For the frosting you will need:

50g soft butter. I had trouble with my first batch being "at room temperature" but not being soft enough and then getting lumps in my frosting. Make sure the butter is soft enough to cream well

250g icing sugar, sifted

250g full fat cream cheese (sorry, this is NOT a cake for diets! Low fat cream cheese won't achieve the same consistency, so will run off the cake)

Few drops of vanilla essence

1. Grease and line one 20cm/6.75cm deep springform cake tin and preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. (N.B. I have used two 20cm sandwich tins to make this cake, but sadly one of my tins has gone to the great kitchen in the sky, so always looking for an alternative, I decided to make one cake in my sprinform tin. The bonus is that you only need to frost the top and that's less calories! 😉 Feel free to divide the mixture if you want to have frosting sandwiched between)

2. Put the oil, eggs and sugar into a large mixing bowl and whisk until light in colour, thicker and mixed well.

3. Add the carrots, folding in, again until well distributed throughout the oil mixture.

4. Throw in your dry ingredients from the separate bowl and fold together well.

5. Pour your mixture into your cake tin(s) and bake for about 1 hour 10 mins for a springform or 35 mins for two sandwich tins, ensuring it is golden on top and shrinking slightly away from the sides of the tins. I tested my sprinform cake today with a skewer to be sure it had cooked through. 

6. Cool on a wire rack while you prepare the frosting. 

7. Start the frosting by beating the butter with a fork until smooth.

8. Add the cream cheese and mix well before sifting in the icing sugar and adding  the vanilla.

9. Beat together well to ensure the mix is smooth.*

*well, I confess that today I had trouble with my frosting. For some reason is was very runny after I added the vanilla. Not sure why... maybe I beat it too much?? I did use this, but more like a water icing, which dripped down the sides, than a frosting. It still tasted good, and as I have only used half the mixture, I will add more sugar to thicken up the rest to use on muffins. 🤞 So, be warned, take it nice and easy with your frosting. I haven't had this trouble before...

10. Top the cake with frosting. Pack up and deliver to your friend in need or just enjoy it yourself 😊

YUMMY!!! (Can tell you it tasted sooo good!!) 😋

See you next time!

Deb x