This is embarassingly belated. I hang my head in shame that I haven’t brought this monster of a carrot cake to you until now. But, dear cake-snafflers, I bring you not one…oh no…but TWO cakes to make up for my baking drought. And, as the greedy amongst us know, there can NEVER be too much cake… The main event is a carrot cake that laughs in the face of all other carrot cakes; turning a haughty nose up at its two-tiered inferiors as it towers intimidatingly over them, shrouded in a cloak of silky cream cheese icing. An almost vulgar creation, it requires heavy-lifting and precision cutting before being voraciously devoured.
Birthday Carrot Cake
Cowering beneath this triple-layered treat, a contrast in cake. Because one cake is never enough, and certainly not for a birthday celebration, I created these rich, buttery little morsels – a light chocolate financier sponge filled with a tongue-tingling passionfruit curd, coated in a layer of grated white chocolate and proudly adorned with a dark chocolate and passion fruit truffle. Ahem, not over-the-top at all… Despite me winging it to come up with something chocolatey and passion fruity at the request of the birthday girl, they were a surprising success – I was so pleased with the result that I felt incapable of stopping after one, after two (tummy starting to groan..), or, even, FOR THE LOVE OF CAKE, three. It took a good friend to drag me away in a semi-sugar coma before I hoovered up the rest.
Chocolate Truffle and Passion Fruit Surprise Cake
The Chocolate Truffle and Passion Fruit Surprise cake picture will have to be enough as I’m afraid the recipe is swooshing around my brain somewhere and not written down on paper. Sorry.
Ultimate Carrot Cake
From the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Ingredients
- 300g Soft Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 300ml Sunflower Oil
- 300g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 300g Carrots, grated
- 100g Shelled Walnuts, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3. Line three 20cm cake tins with greaseproof paper.
Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split). Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts by hand until they are all evenly dispersed. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tins and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand and spread about one-quarter of the Cream Cheese Frosting (you need two quanties of the below recipe) over it with a palette knife. Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it.
Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.
Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 300g Icing Sugar, sifted
- 50g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 125g Cream Cheese, cold
Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
Recipes from http://www.ocado.com/webshop/recipes/