Читать книгу The British Baking Book - Regula Ysewijn - Страница 28

Carrot cake

31

For 6–8 people

For the topping

1¾ cups (200 g) cashews, soaked

overnight in cold water or in hot water

for 1–2 hours

2 Tbsp maple syrup or golden syrup

pinch of sea salt

6 Tbsp Greek yogurt, skyr (Icelandic

yogurt), or coconut yogurt

unsalted pistachio nuts or marzipan

carrots, to garnish

For the cake

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (225 g) demerara (coarse raw sugar)

4 eggs

2½ cups (300 g) whole-wheat flour

or whole-grain spelt flour

grated zest of ½ orange

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

5 large cloves, ground

pinch of pepper and sea salt

14 oz (400 g) carrots, grated

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup (100 g) pecans or walnuts, broken

butter, for greasing

flour, for dusting

For two 7-to 8-inch round cake tins

Start with the topping. Drain the cashews and pat dry with paper towels. Place

in a food processor or blender, add the syrup and blend until smooth. Add the

salt and yogurt and blend until smooth and creamy. Spoon into a small bowl and

place in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare the tins (see page 21).

For the cake, beat the oil and sugar together in an electric mixer for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a teaspoon

of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from separating.

Add the orange zest, spices, and salt, followed by the grated carrot. Mix well

with a spatula. Mix in the remaining flour and the baking powder until the

batter is well combined. Finally, stir in the nuts.

Divide the batter between the two tins. Firmly tap the tins on the bench to

distribute the batter and remove any air bubbles.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes, then test the cakes with

a skewer – if it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.

Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling. If you’ve made the

cakes a day ahead, place them in the fridge 1 hour before decorating.

Spread or pipe one-third of the topping over the bottom cake layer. Add the

second cake layer and spread the rest of the topping over the cake. Decorate

with whole and chopped pistachio nuts or marzipan carrots. Place the cake

in the refrigerator after assembly if you’re not serving it immediately.

Carrot cake is loved by young and old. It has its origins in the Middle Ages, when sugar and honey were far too

expensive to use lavishly. In those days, carrots were considered a sweet food. During the Second World War,

many carrot cakes were made in Great Britain because there was a surplus of carrots. Carrots are, of course, very

healthy, which is why the Ministry of Food promoted cooking with carrots and a special leaflet with carrot dishes

was distributed. Children became fond of carrots and were even given a thick carrot on a stick instead of a lollipop

as the latter were not available during the war.

I like to use whole-grain flour for this cake, because it gives the cake more body and it works well with the rest of the

ingredients. Although carrot cake is often made with cream cheese icing or buttercream, I love it with this cashew

nut topping because the nuts go beautifully with the carrots and spices in the cake. Feel free to use cream cheese

icing or buttercream if you prefer.