Archive for the ‘Scrummy Recipes’ Category
SCRUMMY RECIPES
Posted 06.15.08 by annajohnson
LET THEM EAT CAKE
I like cakes that are almost breads and don’t care much for icing. My Mum raised us eating a very plain Irish soda bread made with flour, butter, water and raisins. I’ll never forget eating it hot with butter and black tea, straight from the oven! This carrot cake can be served as a breakfast loaf or a lunch cake with the icing. It’s sugar free but kids still love it. I bake it in a heart shaped tin and love mixing the honey with the eggs….As you make it a few times you’ll change the quantities around…I find less coconut makes a sweeter juicier cake and slightly more spice makes the cake darker. See what you think!.
ANNA’S YUMMY MUMMY PINEAPPLE GINGER CARROT CAKE
2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
8 cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup natural honey
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup apple sauce (for those who want more sweetness)
1/4 cup ground raw ginger (or less taste)
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
ABSOLUTELY OPTIONAL FROSTING
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
few drops vanilla extract or rum
This recipe is my “lift the blues on a Sunday night” special (it only takes 30 minutes to prepare and 45 to bake). The carrots and the pineapple make the cake juicy.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove butter and cream cheese from refrigerator and allow to warm up to room temperature 30 minutes in advance.
Wash, peel, and grate the carrots. I let Marcello eat the ends!
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg
Beat the eggs together with the honey with a whisk,until sheer and a bit foamy. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture gradually. Add oil and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed of electric mixer. Or about three minutes with whisk until flour disappears.
Using a wooden spoon stir in the grated carrots, coconut, crushed pineapple and finally the walnuts. Mix well and turn out into a buttered and floured 9×13 inch pan. Pierce the center of the cake with cloves which give a lovely aromatic scent when baking.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 45 minutes or until cake is no longer moist in center and begins to pull away from edges of pan. Usually the cake will be quite golden on top, the darker the honey you use the darker the cake!