Granny’s Carrot Cake
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- leave cake to cool completely before icing
- Easy
- Serves 10
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups corn/sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown/muscavado sugar
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1lb (450g) shredded carrots (fresher the better)
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 carton orange juice
Frosting
- 1 1/4 cups corn/sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown/muscavado sugar
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1lb (450g) shredded carrots (fresher the better)
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 carton orange juice
- 8 oz (230g) cream cheese
- 8 oz (230g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8 oz (230g) icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- Mixed nut pieces and cinnamon to decorate
Method
- STEP 1Soak raisins in orange juice (good to do for an hour or so before making cake).
- STEP 2Turn oven on to 180 degrees (160 fan).
- STEP 3Add the oil and sugar to a mixer and blend.
- STEP 4Fold in the plain flour and baking powder using a sieve.
- STEP 5Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix.
- STEP 6Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one is added.
- STEP 7Add the carrots, nuts and raisins, with 2 teaspoons of the orange juice marinade. Mix. The batter should be lumpy and not too thick. Have no fear if it looks quite liquidy!
- STEP 8Split mixture between 2 greased cake tins. The wider the diameter the quicker the cake will cook. For a deeper cake with a smaller diameter, extra cooking time will be required.
- STEP 9Bake at 180 degrees for 1 1/4 hours (best in a conventional non-fan oven). Use cake tester and return to oven for further 10 mins if necessary (tin dependent).
- STEP 10Allow cake to cool overnight before frosting.
- STEP 11To make the frosting: Cream the butter and vanilla essence in the mixer until no lumps remain. Gradually add the cream cheese and mix. Add the cream and mix. Fold in the icing sugar. Spread over both cakes and decorate the top half with nuts, raisins and a light dusting of cinnamon.
