Carrot Cake

It started out a warm week here in Amsterdam, a toasty 14 degrees whilst Finn and I went for a walk in the park with some of our mummy and baby friends, but we've now caught the edges of the Mini Beast from the East which has dropped more snow on our friends and family back home. We've no snow here but bloody hell it is freezing cold again! Cue a very lazy Sunday here for the humans and the cats!

The poor weather does mean that I finally can get round to writing up my Carrot Cake recipe.
I love carrot cake. I'm pretty sure it could count towards one of your five a day if you had a big enough slice and I do like to cut myself a big wedge of this lightly spiced sponge with it's zesty cream cheese icing.
If you are dairy intolerant the cake itself is dairy free due to using sunflower or vegetable oil instead of butter and you can leave off the icing and dust the cake with a little icing sugar and cinnamon. You wouldn't be disappointed!

For me the spices in this cake make it a really comforting treat, perfect when the weather outside is a bit naff and you want to hole up inside with a cup of tea. There are lots of variations depending what recipe you follow, some use mixed spice and ground ginger but I use cinnamon, which is a must in a carrot cake, ground nutmeg (or grate your own but the amount will differ from what I've stated in the recipe) and, my own little secret ingredient, ground cardamom. I just love it's slightly sweet, citrus perfumey flavour and think it works really well in this cake.

CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

For the Cake

175g Light Brown Sugar
175ml Sunflower Oil
3 Eggs
200g Finely Grated Carrot
1/2 Large Orange, Zest Only
200g Self Raising Flour
150g Sultanas
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of Salt

For the Icing

100g Icing Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter/Margerine
200g Full Fat Cream Cheese
1 tsp Orange Juice
1/2 Large Orange, Zest Only

• Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 20cm square tin or rectangle tray (my tray is 27 x 18 cm)
• Put the oil and sugar in a bowl and whisk, either in a stand mixer or hand mixer, until the sugar crystals begin to dissolve (at least 3 minutes). They will not cream like a traditional butter/sugar mix but the mixture should lighten and aerate.
• Combine the flour, spices and raising agents in a separate bowl. Add the sultanas and mix well to make sure the sultanas are well coated. This will help to ensure that the sultanas don't sink to the bottom.
• Beat the eggs and add to the sugar and oil mix. To this mixture add the grated carrot and orange zest. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until they are all evenly combined.
• Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the tin until cool enough to handle and then remove from the tin and parchment paper and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make the icing beat together the icing sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Then add the cream cheese, orange zest and the orange juice and beat until smooth. Cover and chill in the fridge until needed (at least half an hour).
• When the cake has cooled completely cover the top in the icing and serve.

For more pictures of my cooking and my adventures here in Amsterdam follow me on Instagram @saminthedam86