Classic Carrot Cake

It's good to have a classic recipe which you can rely on and "almost" guarantees that everybody loves it.  

This is my humble simple carrot cake. The main ingredients weigh 6 oz (175g) so it's very easy to remember. 

This is nothing fancy, but it always makes me feel cosy. It's a cake, but with vegetables in it, so I don't feel so guilty........... am I totally wrong? 

Ah, by the way, this recipe has slightly less fat than conventional carrot cake recipes.  

6 oz Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 6oz (175g) brown soft sugar
• 6oz (175g) self-raising flour
• 6oz (175g) grated carrot

• 150ml sunflower oil
• 100g sultanas
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking-powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• grated zest of 1 large orange

• 175g icing sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp orange juice or lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C.
2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients – when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)
5. Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth – you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Set the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides. 

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

• 175 g dark brown soft sugar, sifted 
  
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons mixed spice (or cinnamon + ginger)
• 70 ml sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 200 g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 175 g dried mixed fruit
• 200ml water
• 1 Earl Gray tea bag

Method

1. Boil the water and pour over dried fruit and a Earl Gray tea bag. Soak the dried fruit in the hot tea for 2 hours.
2. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).
3. Mix the carrot, orange zest, dried fruit with tea and oil.
4. Then sift together the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into the bowl.
5. Stir all this together, then pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
6. When the cupcakes are completely cold decorate with creme fraiche and icing sugar topping and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Carrot Cupcakes

Here are my humble carrot cupcakes with a little bit of flair.
My recipe was inspired by Delia's Low-fat Moist Carrot Cake. I adjusted her recipe for cupcakes and used half-fat crème fraiche, so they are even more low-fat.  Juicy fruit and crunchy walnuts give these cupcakes a lovely flavour and texture. As you expect, grated carrot keeps the cupcakes very moist. 
Shall I put the kettle on?  

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

• 6 oz (175 g) dark brown soft sugar, sifted
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• 7 oz (200 g) self-raising flour
• 1 level teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons mixed spice (or cinnamon + ginger)
• grated zest 1 orange
• 7 oz (200 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 3 oz dried mixed fruit + 3 oz walnuts 

     For the topping

• 200 g crème fraiche
• 15 g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a little extra for dusting

Method 

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).
2. Begin by whisking the sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl using an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then sift together the flour, baking powder and the mixed spice into the bowl.
4. Stir all this together, then fold in the orange zest, carrots, dried mix fruit and chopped walnuts. 
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until they are well risen and feels firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre.
6. While the cupcakes are cooking, make the topping by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl until light and fluffy, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 1-2 hours or until needed.
7. When the cupcakes are completely cold, remove them from the tin, spread the topping over and dust with a little more cinnamon.