Tag Archives: cream cheese

Naturally red velvet cake

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Red velvet cake is definitely a dessert with the wow factor – who can fail to be impressed when the first slice is cut, revealing vivid red layers of sponge, sandwiched with sweet, smooth cream cheese frosting?

The only problem is the entire bottle of food colouring that’s used to achieve such a striking effect – I know I’m not the only baker out there who is more than a little hesitant to put that much artificial colouring into a dessert.

Food colouring was never used in the original red velvet cakes, so I decided to attempt a version using only natural ingredients.

In theory, the reaction between the cocoa powder and the buttermilk and vinegar should be enough to turn it red, but I didn’t want to leave it to chance.

As luck would have it, this week the lovely people at Riverford Home Delivery Cornwall sent me a fabulous box of veg specifically for baking, including two huge bags of beetroot – and so the idea of a beet-red velvet cake was born.

I’m obviously not the first person to come up with this idea, and I found what looked like the perfect recipe at Korena in the Kitchen for a 6 inch layer cake.

Instead of a cream cheese swiss meringue buttercream I went for a basic cream cheese frosting, and I kept the cake in two layers rather than slicing into four, but otherwise I followed the recipe pretty much exactly.

I wasn’t totally happy with how it turned out, as the sponge was a bit too dense and the colour was a bit on the purple side, but I think with a bit of tweaking it could work well. I still feel much happier eating this version than one with a whole bottle of food colouring!

Thanks to Riverford for sending me the beetroot – I also received some lovely looking courgettes and avocados, which I have some interesting experimental plans for over the next week or so…

Naturally red velvet cake (adapted from Korena in the Kitchen)

  • 115g butter
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 185g cooked beetroot, pureed*
  • 160g plain flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 125ml buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1.5 tsp rice vinegar

For the icing:

  • 100g butter
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g cream cheese (I used light)

*To prepare the beetroot, I washed and peeled about 10 mini beets, and roasted in a pan filled with water and covered with foil for 2 hours. They were still not soft enough after that long, so I gave them 10 minutes in the microwave and then pureed them in a food processor, before measuring out the amount I needed.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the beetroot and vanilla extract and beat again – it should turn an amazing shade of purple!

Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa) and add the buttermilk, lemon juice and vinegar to another bowl. Fold in one third of the dry mix, then half of the liquid; another third of the dry mix, the remaining liquid, and finally the remaining dry ingredients.

Divide the cake batter between two 6″ cake tins and bake at 170 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

To make the icing, beat the butter to soften, then add the icing sugar and beat until no lumps remain. Add the vanilla and cream cheese, then beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Chill in the fridge for an hour or so, until the icing has firmed up a bit.

Spread a layer of icing over one of the sponges, then place the other on top. Spread a thin layer of icing all over to crumb coat, then leave the cake in the fridge for half an hour to set. Finish by spreading the rest of the icing all over the top and sides of the cake, then cut into slices and serve.

tea time treats

I’ve just realised that this cake is suitable for the June Tea Time Treats Challenge, hosted by Kate at What Kate Baked and Karen at Lavender and Lovage – Kate chose layer cakes as the theme, and I didn’t think I’d make something in time but I’m pretty sure this counts!

Orange, ginger and white chocolate cake

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Orange, ginger and white chocolate cake

When I saw this zesty orange ginger carrot cake with white chocolate frosting over on Sweetapolita, it was instantly bookmarked and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I would have to try it myself.

Luckily the opportunity came a week later when I was having a farewell dinner with my dad, mum and step dad before leaving for Romania. I thought it would have elements that appealed to them all – my step dad loves white chocolate, my mum I thought would like the ginger, and my dad likes most things that aren’t too sweet or chocolatey.

I adapted it quite a bit, halving the recipe and baking in a 6″ tin, switching carrot for butternut squash and using a cream cheese white chocolate frosting rather than buttercream just to sandwich the layers and spread on top, rather than completely covering the whole cake.

Even after an hour and a half in the car on a sunny day (sorry cake!) it was very well received, and my dad even gave it the huge compliment of saying he wish he hadn’t given so much of it away to my mum and step dad.

It was a very moist cake, and when I took it out of the tin it sort of sunk in on itself a bit, so if I made it again I’d possible bake it for a little bit longer on a lower temperature, but other than that I was very happy and kind of wish I had another slice to eat now…

Orange, ginger and white chocolate cake (adapted from Sweetapolita)

  • 115g butter
  • 150g caster sugar
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking power
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 75ml milk
  • 250ml butternut squash, finely grated
  • 40g crystalised ginger

For the icing:

  • 50g butter
  • 125g cream cheese
  • 100g white chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 100g icing sugar

Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. Sift in half the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger and fold in, stir in the milk and then sift in the remaining flour mixture and fold again until just combined. Stir in the butternut squash and crystalised ginger then pour into a greased and lined 6″ round baking tin.

Bake at 170 degrees for about 50 minutes (or a little lower and slower if you want) then leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing, beat the butter to soften then add the cream cheese and beat until no lumps remain. Stir in the melted white chocolate and sift in the icing sugar, then beat until light and airy. If it’s a bit too runny, chill in the fridge for half an hour and then beat again before icing the cake.

Slice the cake into three layers and use the icing to sandwich between them and spread on top. Finish with more crystalised ginger on top to decorate, then slice and enjoy!

Banana and coconut loaf cake (GF)

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When one of my colleagues recently went on maternity leave, naturally I wanted to see her off with a cake, as you do.

Unfortunately things didn’t go quite to plan – she ended up being a bit too pregnant to travel to the office, and apparently is allergic to bananas anyway (how I have known her two years without finding that out I have no idea!)

Anyway, with the pony on hand cake never goes to waste, and a few other people at work had a slice too, including my colleague who can’t eat wheat flour and always appreciates a wheat free bake.

 

This banana and coconut cake combines two of my favourite flavours with a delicious texture and the cream cheese icing finishes it off nicely as the cake itself isn’t too sweet.

The original recipe came from Tart to Heart, a blog which, if you haven’t already seen it, is amazing – I highly recommend you go look and drool immediately!

Banana and coconut loaf cake (GF) (Recipe adapted from Tart to Heart)

  • 120g gluten free plain flour
  • 100g oat flour
  • 40g desiccated coconut
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 250ml coconut milk
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 35g sunflower oil
  • 45g greek yoghurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and nutmeg into a bowl with the coconut and stir in. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, coconut milk, sugar, oil, yoghurt, eggs and vanilla, then add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well until just combined.

Pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin (I think mine is about 9×5″) and bake at 180 degrees for about an hour, or until risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Cream cheese icing

  • 100g cream cheese
  • 50g butter
  • 100g icing sugar

Beat the butter to soften, then add in half the cream cheese and all of the sugar and beat until no lumps remain. Add the remaining cream cheese and beat until just combined. Chill in the fridge to firm up, then spread on top of the cooled cake.

Strawberries and cream bars

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These are another of the bakes I made for our bank holiday barbecue (still 2 more to go!) and were chosen because no British summer event is really complete without strawberries cream in one form or another.

I had the original recipe for these from Cookies and Cups bookmarked on Pinterest for ages, so this seemed like the perfect occasion to give them a go before the strawberry season sadly comes to an end.

I changed the recipe up a bit because I didn’t want to use a boxed cake mix, and ended up using the same recipe for the base and crumb that I used as the base for my Millionaire’s Shortbread so I could make both at once.

It worked pretty well and the bars turned out great – they tasted just like strawberry cheesecake, looked really pretty, and were even relatively low calorie – 160 if you cut them into 12 pieces.

They would also work well with other fruits – I’m particularly thinking blueberry – so may have to try a few more versions…

Strawberries and cream bars (adapted from Cookies and Cups)

  • 165g flour
  • 130g butter
  • 55g caster sugar
  • 200g strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 1tsp vanilla extract

For the base/crumb, rub the butter into the flour to create a breadcrumb-like mix, then stir in the sugar. Press about 2/3 of this into the base of an 8×8″ square tin, lined with baking paper, and bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. When the base is done, pour the cream cheese mixture on top, scatter the chopped strawberries all over, and finish by sprinkling clumps of the rest of the crumb mixture on top.

Return to the oven for another 30-40 minutes, until the cream cheese mixture is set and the crumb is golden. Leave to cool before slicing into bars, and serve chilled.

Mini blackberry cheesecakes

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This weekend was we had a neighbourhood barbecue, where my main responsibility was to lay on a good spread of cake.

Last year I made five different cakes, all of which went down well, so expectations were high. As we were away on a camping trip last week I didn’t have much time to prepare, so I had to make a fairly speedy shortlist of cakes, to try and cover off enough different tastes that there would be something for everyone.

Annoyingly I didn’t get any photos of the whole spread, so I’ll just have to blog them one by one, starting with these – mini blackberry cheesecakes.

The blackberry season isn’t really in full swing here yet, but there were enough on the bushes within a 5 minute walk of my house to whip up these dead simple individual cheesecakes.

There’s something about the deep purple of cooked blackberries that I just can’t resist, and I can’t think of a better base for them than a baked cheesecake. These mini cheesecakes are brilliant because they’re so much quicker to make than a normal cheesecake and it makes the recipe easier to scale up or down depending on how many you need.

This is definitely not going to be the last time you see mini cheesecakes here – I’m already thinking about making another batch with the last of the summer peaches, and then move on to apples, pears and other autumn flavours…

Mini blackberry cheesecakes (recipe adapted from All Recipes)

Makes 8

  • 65g hobnobs
  • 15g butter, melted
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 150g blackberries
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour

Blitz the hobnobs in a food processor until they form fine crumbs, then pour in the melted butter while the mixer is running. Spoon the crumbs into 8 cupcake cases and press down with the back of a spoon, then bake at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

While the bases are baking, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon zest and juice together until smooth and creamy. Once the based are done, pour the cheesecake mixture on top and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until firm and turning golden around the edges. Leave to cool.

For the topping, heat 100g of the blackberries with 1 tbsp sugar, 1tbsp water and 1 tbsp flour, stirring until the berries break down and the liquid thickens. Spread on top of the cheesecakes. Heat the remaining 50g of blackberries with the second tbsp of sugar, but stop before the berries turn into mush, and spoon the still whole berries on top of the jammy layer. Leave in the fridge to set, then remove from the cupcake cases and serve.

Still to come from my barbecue cake spread are chocolate orange fudge cake, lime drizzle cake, millionaire’s shortbread and strawberries and cream bars – pictured above with the blackberry cheesecakes. Keep an eye out for them appearing here soon!

Hummingbird Cake

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Last week, I went to another brilliant Cornwall Clandestine Cake Club, and have been terribly slack in posting about it – apologies!

Held at a gorgeous farmhouse near Tintagel, the Cornwall and North Cornwall branches of CCC came together for a 4th of July all-American spectacular. Just look at this spread of cakes – and that was before everyone had even arrived!

I decided to make a Hummingbird cake – apparently Southern Living magazine’s most requested recipe, so it must be a true American classic!

I was a bit worried someone else would do the same, but luckily they didn’t. For those of you who haven’t heard of or tried a Hummingbird cake, it’s basically a super-charged banana cake, with added pineapple, pecans, cinnamon and cream cheese icing –  an inspired combination!

This is probably one of my favourite things I’ve baked recently, as all the elements just work really well together – the bananas taste delicious and make it smell heavenly when it’s baking, same for the cinnamon which I love in pretty much anything; the pineapple makes it extra-moist, the pecans add a nice texture contrast, and cream cheese icing is my all-time favourite frosting.

Hopefully everyone else who tried a bit liked it – I took a slice home with me at my boss’s request, and even his banana-hating son approved so it must have been pretty good!

Just in case the giant flag the pony made to go in my cake wasn’t enough to let people know what it was, I made a little hummingbird to go on top, although my lack of artistic skills may have just left everyone more confused…

Hummingbird Cake (adapted from Southern Living magazine)

  • 360g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 400g sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 250ml vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g can crushed pineapple
  • 100g chopped pecans
  • 450g chopped over-ripe bananas (3 large bananas)
  • 500g cream cheese
  • 250g butter
  • 250g icing sugar

Start by greasing and lining four 7″ sandwich tins – I only have two so I baked in two batches. Sieve together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla and stir into the dry ingredients, until just combined. Fold in the banana, pineapple and pecans and stir to make sure they’re all distributed evenly, then divide the mixture between the pans and bake at 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until risen and springy to the touch.

For the icing, beat the butter to soften, then add the icing sugar and half the cream cheese. Using an electric mixer, beat for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy and no lumps remain, then quickly add in the rest of the cream cheese and beat until just combined. Chill in the fridge until thick enough to spread.

To assemble the cake, level off each of the cake layers, then stack with a layer of cream cheese icing between each, and cover with the rest of the icing. Keep in the fridge until half an hour or so before serving.

Raspberry and white chocolate tarts

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These tarts aren’t at all what I was planning on baking at the weekend.

I wanted to make a blueberry buckle, but everywhere I went the price of blueberries was extortionate – I thought being in season made things cheaper?! As the recipe called for 4 or 5 packs, that plan swiftly went out the window.

Raspberries on the other hand were only £1.25 per punnet, so I bought some of those instead and decided to use up the last of my raspberry curd in these little tarts.

White chocolate is a classic partner for raspberry, and I had a spare 100g cream cheese from another recipe (to be posted soon) so that sorted out the other layer of the tarts – and in the end I think everything came together rather nicely!

I think some of the best things I’ve made have come about from using what I have to hand rather than following a recipe, and these are a great example of that – although the buckle is still on my to-bake list, just as soon as I spy a blueberry bargain…

Raspberry and white chocolate tarts

Makes 4 individual tarts

  • 50g butter
  • 100g plain flour
  • 25g icing sugar
  • 8 tbsp raspberry curd
  • 100g cream cheese
  • 65g white chocolate
  • icing sugar to taste
  • 150g raspberries

To make the pastry, sieve together the flour and sugar, then rub in the butter until the mixture forms a fine breadcrumb-like texture. Add in a tiny bit of water and cut through the mixture with a butter knife – it should start to come together into a dough, but if you have any dry crumbs around the edges of the bowl add a little more water. Knead the dough briefly, then chill for half an hour.

Once chilled, divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each out into a circle about 12cm round. Lay the pastry into 10cm round tart tins, prick the bottom with a fork and return to the fridge for an hour or so.

When you’re ready to bake the tarts, line with baking paper and baking beans (or dry rice/pasta) and blind bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, or until crisp and just starting to go golden. Unfortunately I got distracted taking photos of something else so mine are a little browner on the edges than I would have liked…

Melt 15g of the white chocolate and use to brush the bases of the tarts. This will help stop the curd making the pastry go soggy. When the chocolate has set, spread 2 tbsp raspberry curd into the bottom of each, and chill in the fridge while you make the white chocolate layer.

Melt the remaining 50g white chocolate then beat into the cream cheese until well mixed. You can add an extra pinch of icing sugar at this point if you want, depending on how sweet you want the tarts to be. As the raspberry curd was quite runny, I piped the white chocolate mix on top, starting around the edge and working my way in so it wouldn’t sink and mess up the layers.

Finally, add the fresh raspberries on top of the tarts – then eat!

Coconut, blackberry and raspberry crown cupcakes

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These crown cupcakes are the first of my two ‘fit for a queen‘ competition entries (which won me third place, in case I hadn’t mentioned!)

They’re kind of a royal-ed up version of my coconut and strawberry cupcakes, based on the same sponge recipe but with a raspberry curd filling and blackberry and raspberry cream cheese icing, and of course the golden crowns on top.

I think the corgi tarts seemed more popular at the competition, but I actually preferred these as I’m all about the fruit in the summer, and I love the coconut and berry combination.

I’m also especially proud of these because I seem to finally be getting the hang of piping icing onto cupcakes in a bit of a fancy pattern!

I won’t lie, these are pretty time consuming and do use some slightly hard to find ingredients, but I think they are well worth the effort for a special occasion!

Coconut, blackberry and raspberry crown cupcakes (based on this recipe):

Makes 9 cupcakes

  • 30g desiccated coconut
  • 105g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 85g butter
  • 135g caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 90ml coconut milk

For the filling, icing and decoration

  • 2 tbsp raspberry curd (recipe here)
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 100g butter
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 10g freeze-dried blackberries
  • 10g freeze-dried raspberries
  • 30g white candy melts
  • edible gold paint

To make the cupcakes, follow the method here (the ingredients listed above are half the quantities of the original recipe but that’s the only difference).

To fill the cupcakes, use an apple corer to make holes in the centre of each, then spoon in a little raspberry curd before replacing the bits of sponge you removed.

To make the icing, grind the freeze-dried berries in a food processor into dust, then add to the icing sugar. I had to order them in at a local health food shop, so if you can’t find any I think fresh berries would probably work too, but I really wanted to use freeze-dried for the amazing colour and also so they wouldn’t affect the consistency of the icing.

Beat the butter to soften, then add in half the cream cheese and sift in the icing sugar and berries. Beat until well mixed and no lumps remain, then add in the second half of the cream cheese and quickly beat again, just enough to combine everything. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, then pipe on top of the cupcakes – I used a Wilton star nozzle but any would be fine.

To make the crowns, I used an ingredient that’s completely new to me, but that may be down to a sheltered life – candy melts.

They’re essentially like chocolate buttons, except they set harder and don’t require any tempering – perfect for chocolate decorations. I’m not sure how widely available they are but I got mine at a specialist kitchen and bakeware shop. I used a roll of baking paper to pipe the crown shapes on to, then slid them off once they were completely set. They were quite fragile and some did break, but you can use a some more of the white melts as a glue to fix them up.

I then painted the crowns gold with an edible paint, giving them two coats for a really nice colour. You can buy edible paints online and in baking shops, but I found mine at a local pannier market for a bargain £2.75!  Pop the crowns on top of the cupcakes, and there you have it – coconut, blackberry and raspberry cupcakes, fit for a queen!

Coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam hearts (GF)

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Coconut cupcakes have been on my mind for ages now.

Originally I planned to make pina colada cupcakes with a pineapple curd filling, but the curd recipe didn’t turn out great so I put them on hold; then it was going to be coconut and Nutella, but I didn’t have any; then a white chocolate coconut ganache filling, but that didn’t work, so FINALLY I settled on simple coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam filling and coconut cream cheese icing!

I wanted to make these to take into work so they had to be wheat and gluten free, so I adapted the recipe for the cupcakes from this one at Cooking Classy, and subbed regular plain flour for gluten free.

The only other change I made was slightly altering the egg quantities, so I was really pleased when these baked with a nice, light but not dry texture, as I know sometimes GF flours can be a bit tricky to work with.

The cupcakes went down really well with everyone who tried one, and the cream cheese icing, adapted from a Dan Lepard recipe was a revelation – it’s the first one I’ve made that didn’t need half a box of icing sugar but was the perfect consistency, not at all runny!

Oh, and I almost forgot – I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of fancy piping techniques! Although the sprinkling of coconut on top can hide all manner of sins…

Coconut cupcakes with strawberry jam hearts (adapted from Cooking Classy)

Makes 16-18 cupcakes

  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • 210g gf plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 170g butter
  • 270g caster sugar
  • 3 whole eggs, one egg white
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 185ml coconut milk

For filling and icing

  • 2 tbsp strawberry jam
  • 200g butter
  • 200g icing cugar
  • 400g cream cheese
  • 50g desiccated coconut, plus extra for decoration

Start by grinding the desiccated coconut in a food processor to get it as fine as you can. Add it to the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time, followed by the vanilla. Fold in 1/3 of the flour/coconut mix, then 1/3 of the coconut milk, then repeat, folding in alternately until all the ingredients have been used.

Line a cupcake tin with cases and spoon the mixture into them, about 2/3 full. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes or until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To fill with the jam, I use an apple corer which cuts really need holes in the cakes (dodgy picture below as it was getting dark) – you could use a knife to cut holes if you want though. Heat the jam a little to make it easier to pour, then add a little into the hole of each cupcake and place the tops back on.

For the icing, beat the butter to soften, then add in the icing sugar and half the cream cheese. Using an electric mixer, beat until no lumps remain and it looks light and creamy. Add the remaining cream cheese and coconut, beat quickly until just combined, then leave in the fridge for half an hour to firm up a bit before piping or spooning on to the cupcakes. Sprinkle a little more coconut on top and you’re done!

Carrot cake (GF)

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Carrot cake has been on my to-bake list for quite a long time, but I think what’s put me off making it until now is the absolutely insane amount of recipes and variations there  are for it – how on earth are you meant to know what’s right?!

Eventually, I decided I couldn’t put it off any longer, and picked this recipe to base mine on.

I left out the nuts as the pony isn’t really a fan, used gluten free flour and a little extra liquid, baked it in two tins as I didn’t have one with high enough sides to fit it all in and used a different icing (so as per usual, not doing a brilliant job of following the recipe…)

I’m still not really sure what a definitive carrot cake should be, but this one was pretty damn delicious, and I think of all the cakes I’ve taken in to work this one disappeared the fastest!

I wouldn’t hesitate to make it again – maybe with walnuts of pecans if I can sneak them past the pony, and maybe a plain cream cheese icing so my orange-alergic next door neighbour can try a slice too…

For any other carrot cake virgins out there, trust me – this recipe is the place to start!

Carrot cake with orange cream cheese icing (recipe adapted from Breakfast By The Sea)

  • 300g sugar
  • 300ml sunflower oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1tbsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300g carrots, finely grated
  • 300g plain flour (GF or normal)
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1tsp baking powder (check to make sure it’s GF)
  • 1tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg,
  • pinch of salt
  • handful of sultanas (I didn’t bother weighing)

For the icing:

  • 100g butter
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 350g icing sugar
  • zest of an orange

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla until well mixed and no lumps remain, then mix in the grated carrots. Sift in all the remaining dry ingredients, and fold in with the sultanas until there are no more streaks of flour. Pour into 2 greased and lined 8″ cake tins (it will be very liquid, that’s ok) and bake at 170 degrees for about an hour, or until risen, browned, and pulling away from the sides.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Beat the butter to soften, then add in half the cream cheese, orange zest and the icing sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until no lumps remain, which will take a few minutes. Finally, quickly beat in the rest of the cream cheese, then leave in the fridge to chill. Note – this made way too much icing, so in future I’d probably make 2/3 this amount.

Level the cakes if necessary, then spread half the icing on top of one layer of the cake. Top with the second cake, the spread the rest of the icing on top. Cut into slices and serve!