English Carrot Cake
Root vegetables were often used to lend sweetness to 18th-century cakes and puddings. Beetroots, parsnips and carrots were all common ingredients, but of these, only carrot is still favoured today. It makes a very pleasant, moist cake, without any hint of carrot in the taste.
Ingredients
- 8 oz butter
- 8 oz light soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs separated
- finely grated rind of 1/2 orange
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 6 oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 oz ground almonds
- 5 oz walnut pieces chopped
- 12 oz young carrots peeled and grated
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 tsp clear honey
Instructions
- Grease and line a deep 20.5 cm (8 inch) round cake tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, then stir in the orange rind and 15 ml (3 tsp) of the lemon juice.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, then stir in the ground almonds and 100 g (4 oz) of the walnuts.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cake mixture with the carrots. Pour into the prepared tin and hollow the centre slightly.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) mark 4 for about 1 1/2 hours. Cover top with foil after 1 hour if it starts to brown.
- Leave to cool slightly, then turn out on to a wire rack and remove the lining paper. Leave to cool.
- To make the topping, beat together the cheese, honey and remaining lemon juice and spread over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the topping with the remaining walnuts.
Calories: 696 kcal
Carbohydrates: 54 g
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 50g
Saturated Fat: 22 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 174 mg
Sodium: 416 mg
Potassium: 353 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Sugar: 33 g
Vitamin A: 8316 IU
Vitamin C: 4 mg
Calcium: 150 mg
Iron: 2 mg