Recipe from Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can published by Ebury Press, £14.99.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 250 g light soft brown sugar
- 250 ml sunflower or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tsp grated orange zest
- 300 g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 100 g sultanas
- 75 g walnut pieces (optional – Thomas would not allow these in his cake)
- For the cream cheese icing:
- 150 g full-fat cream cheese
- 40 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 g icing sugar
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3). Line two 20-cm loosebottomed cake tins with cake tin liners or use non-stick baking paper.
- Put all the ingredients for the cake in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until well combined, although Thomas mixes this in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until golden and firm yet springy to the touch.
- Prepare the cream cheese icing. Put the cream cheese, butter, orange juice and vanilla into a bowl with half the icing sugar and beat well with an electric hand-held whisk; alternatively whizz in a food processor. Add the remaining icing sugar and whisk or whizz until smooth and fluffy – this will take about 3 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool before sandwiching together with the icing
This recipe and others can also be found on www.thehappyfoodie.co.uk.
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