Thursday, July 30, 2009

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 !

11 comments:

  1. Perfectly baked, looks gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks really good Dips. Did you not add the eggs?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nope , this is totally without eggs...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Dips, welcome to S&SB and its lovely to have you baking with us :0)

    Your carrot cake looks absolutely delicious and I adore the almonds on the top!!

    Thank you for taking part in this month’s Sweet & Simple Bakes event! I do hope you will join us once again in our monthly baking :0)

    Best wishes Rosie x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Dips,
    A warm welcome to Sweet and Simple Bakes and it's great to have you baking with us.

    Your carrot cake looks perfect and delish!

    Thanks for taking part and hope you will join us again.

    Maria
    x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great job. Can't leave out the raisins..they're like candy. If you are ever unsure about someone liking/disliking raisins, puree them in the food processor. That way you incorporate their sweetness but less the chunks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mmm, your cake came out lovely.

    And a nice touch to sprinkle almonds on top like that. While I made my version with the cream cheese frosting this time I'm not actually that big on the stuff and the cake is so moist as to not really need it anyhow so I'll probably sprinkle with nuts like that too as it looks delish!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks delicious, Dips. Carrot cake's one of my favorites too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cake looks gorgeous, my mouth's watering just looking at your photos!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dips, I have an award for you on my blog. Do come by and claim it :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. My first visit I think to your blog and am thoroughly enjoying the visit,,,such a warm fresh treats from oven...everything looks great!

    ReplyDelete