Carrot Cake

I begged for this recipe from my friend and professional cook Paul Da Costa Greaves. Carrot Cake is one of my favourites but so many I bite into are lacking in taste or moisture.
This one I promise will not let you down on either.I baked this in my strange oven in the mountains which I have to be honest has temperature issues but as I’ve cooked with an AGA for years I tend to be lenient with it others I know would like to give it a good kicking.

The cake for me took a good one and a half hours to cook but I did put my mould on an extra tray with newspaper under so the bottom was protected from over cooking before the centre, learnt this trick from my friend Andrea who has done cake baking courses and impresses me with her knowledge of the finer points of baking.

Paul has given me a few more which as I make I’ll pass on.
Follow him at thechocolatetherapist.co.uk/

Instructions:

Preheat oven to Gas 2 or 150 C

Ingredients

200gm light muscavado sugar

3 whole eggs

300gm grated carrot

100gm Sultanas

Zest of 1 orange

200gm plain flour

Shot brandy

1tsp bicarbonate soda

2tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp all-spice

1tsp mixed spice – you can mix this yourself or buy already done

100ml Vegetable or greased oil

Topping & filling

115g mascarpone cheese

225g full fat cream cheese

1 zest orange

1/2 zest lemon

Icing sugar

How To

Mix sugar & oil, adding the eggs, brandy spices, zest of orange, carrots & sultanas.
Sieve the flour, bicarb & baking powder.
Mix well and place into a springform 8-9 inch greased cake tin or whatever your favourite is. I used a round Silicone mould from Lakeland.

Place into pre-heated oven for approx. 1-1.5 hours or until cooked (to check take a skewer or knife and place into the middle of the cake – remove and if it’s clear it’s cooked if it’s a little tacky place back in the oven). Once cool pop on topping or serve on the side.

Cream the cream cheese & icing sugar adding the zest of lemon & orange, keep adding icing sugar to desired sweetness.