Aunty Vera's Kitchen - A New Carrot Cake Recipe

Hi Crafty Bloggers!

The weekend has come around again - and so quickly!!!
So that means it's time for.........

I have a favourite Carrot Cake recipe that I use ALL the time. Unfortunately, that recipe is currently packed away with most of my other cookbooks. So when my son asked me to make a carrot cake today, I had to search around a bit for a recipe..... and I found this very interesting one in an old Australian Good Food magazine. I say 'interesting' because it has crushed pineapple in it, which I don't normally add to carrot cakes. So I thought I would try it out.

Good Food's Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup canned, crushed pineapple in natural juice, undrained
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 180C  (355F). Grease and line two 20cm round sandwich pans 

Grate carrots (you'll need about 3 medium sized carrots) to make 2 cups of grated carrot......

Sift the flour, sugar, bicarb and salt into a large bowl.

Add the pineapple, carrot, eggs, oil and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until well combined.......

Stir in the walnuts then divide between pans and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

The Frosting

(At least I have my cream cheese frosting memorized!)

Ingredients:

• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 60g butter, softened
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups icing sugar (to taste)
• juice of 1/2 a large lemon

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric beater until smooth

Add the lemon juice and icing sugar. You're best to start with just one cup and then add more if you want the icing sweeter.

Beat until smooth, then spread between the layers and over the top of your cake......

Decorate the top with a few chopped walnuts, and serve..........

So... the verdict...... I have to say, even though this cake was very, VERY nice (I especially like the moist texture that the pineapple brings to it), it was not quite as yummy as the cake recipe I usually make. So there MAY just be another carrot cake post some time in the future....lol

Enjoy with a cup of tea

Aunty Vera :)

PS - I suddenly realised that being the Anzac Day weekend, I really should have made ANZAC BISCUITS!! Sorry guys - thinking ahead is not my strong suit, as many of you already know (lol).

SO - anybody on the lookout for a great Anzac Biscuit recipe, feel free to visit my friend Bill - he made Anzac Biscuits RIGHT HERE.

V xx