Ginger and Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake sits up in the ranks with lemon meringue pie as one of my all-time, never-get-sick-of-it, faves.  I must say though, I have often wondered who was the first person to look at a carrot and wonder what it would be like baked in a cake…

I have always been on the prowl for ideas for jazzing up the classic carrot cake and I think I have finally found the recipe that does that.  The addition to ginger to this lovely, moist cake is lovely and yet subtle enough to compliment the other flavours.

The recipe I used called for glace ginger, however I opted to use some minced ginger from a jar.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250mL) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon (5mL) bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon (2.5mL) ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon (2.5mL) ground cloves
• 1 cup (250mL) brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1½ cups (375mL) carrot, finely grated (about 2 large carrots)
• ½ cup (125mL) sultanas
• ½ cup (125mL) glacé ginger, finely chopped
• ½ cup (125mL) walnuts, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup (80mL) oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 60g packaged cream cheese, softened
• 30g soft butter
• 1 teaspoon (5mL) grated lemon rind (I added a touch of orange rind to mine and it really popped, yum!)
• 1½ cups (375mL) icing sugar

Method

1. Grease 14cm x 25cm loaf pan (or 20cm x 20cm cake tin), line base with paper, grease paper.
2. Sift flour, soda and spices into a bowl, stir in sugar, carrot, sultanas, ginger and nuts; stir in combined oil and eggs.
3. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 5 minutes.
4. Pour into the prepared pan.
5. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Try and do a better job at it than I did. ‘Sprinkling’ is not on my list of awesome skills.
6. Bake in a moderately slow oven for about an hour.
7. Stand 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
8. When cold, spread with frosting.
9. Beat cream cheese, butter and lemon rind in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

Suitable to freeze for three months. Not suitable to microwave.

Recipe Source