Home Cook Kitchen with Mary D'Arcy. This recipe can be made with ordinary plain flour if gluten free cake is not required.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1lb (450g) carrots, grated
- 7oz (190g) plain flour –gluten free
- 2tsp baking powder – gluten free
- 1/2tsp bread soda
- 1/2tsp salt
- 2tsp cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 4oz (about 113.4 g) dark brown sugar
- 2oz (about 56.7 g) caster sugar
- 10fl (295 ml) oz vegetable/sunflower oil
- 3 ½ oz (about 100g) chopped walnuts
- 3oz (about 85 g) sultanas or raisins
- Cream cheese topping
- 4oz (about 113 g) butter
- 4oz (about 113 g) icing sugar
- 8oz (about 227 g) cream cheese
- Optional flavours – vanilla / orange zest / maple syrup or leave plain
- Toasted chopped walnuts for decoration.
Method
- Prepare and line a 10" round tin or a deep 11" x 8" rectangular tin
- Oven 180 C /350F /Gas 4
- Toast chopped walnut by spreading evenly on tray and place in oven for a few minutes, keep an eye as they can get over cooked very quickly. Remove and leave aside.
- Grate carrots and leave aside.
- Sieve flour, baking powder, salt, bread soda and cinnamon together into a bowl.
- Whisk together the eggs, sugars, vanilla and oil for a couple of minutes, slowly beat in the flour mix, walnuts and sultanas.
- With a spatula fold in the grated carrots gently to keep mixture as light as possible, pour into prepared tin and bake for 35 – 45 minutes.
- Leave to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool fully.
To prepare the cream cheese topping
- Make sure that the butter is nice and soft.
- Beat butter and icing sugar together till well blended, clean down sides of bowl with a spatula, add the cream cheese and beat well until fully combined, add flavouring now if you wish.
- When cake is fully cold remove the paper and place on a plate or cake board, gently spread the topping over the top, make swirl designs with knife, decorate if you wish with some toasted chopped walnuts.
- Enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee!!
NB: This recipe can be made with ordinary plain flour if gluten free cake is not required.
