Light Carrot Cake
This recipe makes the lightest of carrot cakes.
Last time I made it I left the carrots and currants to marinade in the spices for an hour before making but it’s not necessary. Sometimes I use my large 24 cm square low sided tin and sometimes my 22 cm deep round - that’s around a 9 inch of what ever you have.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Quantity: serves 16 Cooking time: 50 - 60 minutes
Ingredients
4 eggs – large or medium
400 g / 16 oz caster sugar
250 ml / 1/3 pint vegetable oil (or sunflower)
300 g / 12 oz grated carrots (360g un-peeled)
350 g / 14 oz plain flour – sieved with the dry below
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice (optional)
1 teaspoon / 10 g bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon / 10 g baking powder
200 g / 8 oz currants
Method
- Whisk the eggs and the sugar in a bowl until very light, creamy and pale in colour.
- Whisk in the oil.
- Stir in the carrots.
- Gently stir in the dry ingredients (except currants) until well mixed, still light and smooth.
- Lastly stir in the currants.
- Spoon in to a greased tin.
- Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven gas 4 /180*c for 50 – 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean.
- Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out.
Will keep fresh for a few days.
Can be frozen.
Variations –
Add 60 g / 2 oz of nuts to the mix like walnuts, almonds or pistachios.
Replace the currants with either sultanas or raisins.
Garnish with zested peels of carrot or hand cut baby carrot shapes with a top of dill or marzipan carrots.
Serve plain, dusted with icing sugar or spread with a cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon* frosting.
Or top with cream cheese, icing sugar and finely diced stem ginger and some of the syrup.
* replace the lemon juice for lime or orange juice or mango or peach puree.