Читать книгу Vegetables - Sophie Grigson, Sophie Grigson - Страница 23

Everyone knows that carrot cake is a very good thing, indeed. What a cheery thought it is that you can have your cake and eat vegetables at the same time.

This is the recipe I return to regularly, after playing away with less successful variations. I’m not usually a big fan of baking cakes or pastry with wholemeal flour, but for once it makes absolute sense, absorbing some of the moisture that the carrot provides, and giving the substance the cake needs.

Serves 8–12

250g (9oz) light muscovado sugar

250ml (9floz) light olive oil or sunflower oil

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

250g (9oz) wholemeal flour

2 rounded teaspoons baking powder

60g (2 oz) ground almonds

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

125g (41/2 oz) shelled walnuts, roughly chopped

250g (9 oz) carrots, grated

Frosting

200g (7oz) cream cheese

200g (7oz) butter, softened

250g (9oz) icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 walnut halves to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Base-line two 20cm (8in) round cake tins with baking parchment and grease the sides. Whisk the sugar with the oil, eggs and milk. Mix the flour with the baking powder, ground almonds, poppy seeds, walnuts and carrots. Make a well in the centre and add the sugary liquids, scraping the last of the sugar from the bowl. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Scrape into the two prepared cake tins and bake for 40–45 minutes until firm to the touch – check by plunging a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, then the cake is cooked. While the cake is baking, beat the cream cheese with the softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to make the frosting.

Let the cakes cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then turn them out on to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely, then sandwich together with about one-third of the frosting. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and down the sides, then decorate with the walnut halves.