This carrot cake featured in the previous blog is one I made from the Cereal magazine, it was incredibly easy to make and delicious, plus the carrots really are the bit that makes it even more stunning. If you would like to make it here is the recipe.
300g Flour 250g sugar 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp quatre-épices
80g walnuts 300g shredded carrots 300g shredded apples 40g shredded fresh coconut
150g sunflower oil 100g melted butter 3 eggs
450g Philadelphia cream cheese 70g sugar 50g shredded coconut
Place the shredded apples in a saucepan and let cook for about 5 minutes until you get half-cooked apple compôte. Put aside.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and quatre-spices in a big bowl.
Whisk the oil, melted butter and eggs, then add them to the flour mixture and mix carefully with a spatula until well combined.
Add the nuts, carrots, apple compote and coconut then fold them in.
Bake for about 40-50 minute in 2 buttered 16cm cake pans in the preheated oven at 170℃/gas mark.
For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and sugar with an electric whisk for about 3 minutes.
Cut each cake in 2 equal layers. Put a bit of frosting on each of them, then assemble the cake and glaze it with the rest of the frosting. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
If you want to you can buy some carrots with the tops still on, you only need the top of the carrot and about 5cm of the green top, the rest you can use for soup etc. Chop them down to size and arrange around the cake so everyone gets a carrot top with their slice of the cake.
Or if you want something a bit different how about the pig cake?
My Facebook friend Ali very kindly made me this, it started of as me sending Ali the recipe some time ago as she is excellent at making cakes. From then on it sort of turned into a Facebook joke between me and another one of Ali's friends and her husband.
Embarrassingly for me a cake was delivered to my door by Ali's husband, I soon got over the embarrassment and the cake was enjoyed by lots of people on Good Friday!
Thank you Ali.
If you would like to try making this cake and you have lots of patience here is the recipe.
You will need A 20cm sponge cake 2x 200 g milk chocolate bars 250ml of cream Filling of choice for your pie. Layer of jam/ tinned cherries or such, and a layer of creme patisserie , cream or butter icing 3x five packet kitkats 1 packet of light pink marzipan. ( I’m thinking you’ll have to use almond paste and food colouring for this or maybe get creative with some pink marshmallows? ) Big knife Tooth pick or skewer Ribbon Flat plate or board to put your cake on
Start by making your pigs. Do your own thing as there are no instructions for this. Put your cream in a pan over low heat Keep stirring until it just starts to boil. In between break the chocolate bars in pieces. When the cream is almost boiling take it from the heat and gradually add chocolate. Keep stirring until you have a nice smooth mass and then leave to cool stirring every now and again. Cut your sponge in half and put your fillings of choice in. Put your cake , at this stage, on a lazy Susan or something else easy enough to rotate . The sides are going to be covered with your chocolate and you don’t want your serving plate/board to get messy. Break your kitkats in two and have them ready. If your chocolate sauce has cooled at thickened to a custard consistency you can start smearing it on the sides of your cake. Use a spatula or the back if a knife to do this. Once you’ve smeared it all around you can stick your kitkats on. This can be a bit tricky so place them on a slight angle against the cake. When you have gone right around quickly tie your ribbon around the cake. This will pull the kitkats up straight against your cake. When the left over chocolate sauce is only just fluid pour it over the top of the cake. MAKE SURE IT IS NOT TOO THIN WHEN YOU DO THIS OR IT WILL SEEP BETWEEN THE KITKATS. Before it totally sets place your little piggies on the chocolate Place in the fridge to set. After an hour or so you can place the cake gently on your serving plate.
I added Heston's chocolate popping corn from Waitrose to the pig bath for a bit more fun.
Enjoy.
