The Splendid Carrot/Beetroot Cake

Carrot cake is beloved the world over, with icing, with frosting or simply on its own we consume vast quantities of it. This marvelously humble cake is so easy to make, and can have so many variations to it. I add raisins as do many, but due to my loathing of orange and lemon peel I do not put any in, and yet many often do. One other gorgeously sumptions variation of the carrot cake is beetroot.

Beetroot!? In a cake?! You must be mad?! No, not mad at all, just madly delicious. the beetroot just like the carrot gives the cake a sweet moisture, but also adds extra depth with its slight earthiness.

I do not remember where I got the recipe I use from, I have been making this for a good 10 years and it has not failed me once. It turns out perfect moist cake after perfect moist cake. It is a favourite amongst my friends and colleagues and the cream cheese icing is luxurious and decadent.

Ingredients

300gm plain flour

Tell me that is not one BRIGHT cake! 

2 tsp cinnamon

1tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

200g soft brown sugar

4 eggs

250ml oil

200gm grated carrots or beatroot

150gm raisins

the peel of 1 grated orange or lemon - optional

For the Icing

150gm icing sugar

175ml double cream

300gm cream cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C’ - grease either a 10 inch round tin or a loaf tin depending on the shape you want. I prefer to make mine in the loaf tin only because I find it easier to take out.  

Beat the 4 eggs with the sugar, add the oil. Combine all the dry ingredients, make sure you sift the baking powder and the soda to avoid lumps. Add the dry mix into the egg oil and sugar mix, add the grated carrots/beetroot and raisins and mix in well. The beetroot turns the mix a most splendid shade of fuchsia!    

Bake for an hour and twenty minutes. Leave to cool completely before you put any icing on top.

For the icing, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until you have a nice thick icing. Be warned it is excruciatingly yummy and you may want to make extra, it never seems to be enough.   

Bon Appetite!