Carrot cake , a sweet and simple bake..

As if all the baking I had already done wasn't enough I also decided to take on Sweet and Simple bakes challenge this month..

As the name suggests though, the recipes are pretty straightforward and this one was particularly something that I had wanted to try since long..I've always relished the idea of a carrot cake but never really given it a go...

Here's my go, adapted from this Basic Recipe to exclude eggs, availability and measures :

2 cups APF

3/4 cup sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cups grated carrots

4 tbsp shortening (I used unsalted butter)

1/2 cup or so milk

3/4 cup walnuts ,chopped

a handful of raisins.

Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly. Cut the shortening in. Add the carrots and mix well. Pour milk to form a batter. Fold in chopped nuts.Heat oven at 375F and bake for 30-40 mins. I added some slivered almonds on the top after baking for 15 mins to avoid the cream cheese frosting ..as much as I love my cream cheese :)

The cake was a hit, very soft and moist and nutty. I was skeptical about adding the raisins but those gave a nice sweet/sour tang to the cake...definitely a keeper !