Sunday, April 3, 2011

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing





What does one do when one discovers a whole bag of carrots in the frigde? If you are like me who hates to see food goes to waste, there are 2 options available. You could either cook the beautiful afghan rice or try a new recipe. 
So I chanced upon a recipe posted by Melissa Wikepa Al-Khudaisi (thanks sis!) and thought its a simple enough process and I 'd give it a go. So why not try it yourself and dont let that bag of carrots rot in the crisper, turn it into something beautiful!


Ingredients:

* 1 cup vegetable oil (I use corn oil)
* 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
* 3 eggs
* 3 medium carrots, grated ( if your carrots are small, you can use 5)
* ½ cup sultanas or raisins
* 2 ½ cups self-raising flour
* ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ginger

Lemony cream cheese icing

* 175g cream cheese
* 100g (2/3 cup icing sugar)
* Grated rind and juice of one lemon

*1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a 22cm round cake tin or a square one will do just fine.

Place oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined.

Sift in flour, bicarb and spices and beat well to combine. Stir in carrots, pecans and sultanas.

Pour into cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn onto a rack.

To make icing, beat ingredients, spread over cold cake.


Notes:

* This makes a lovely moist, dense cake and will feed a small army!