Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking soda 1½ teaspoons salt 1 pound carrots, grated by hand*
1 cup raisins 1 cup chopped walnuts /Macadamia nuts
Brandy butter
6 oz butter
10 oz icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp Brandy or to taste
Method
I doubled this quantity.
Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees. Grease and butter your cake pan, I used a 12 inch square pan, line the bottom with parchment paper. i used 9 inch tin for single quantity of this mix.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the 4 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, macadamia nuts and the 2 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter in to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Since mine was still wet I cooked for a further 15 mt. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.
*Grate the carrots by hand on grater; if you grate them in a food processor, the carrots will be too wet although I did mine in a food processor and squeezed some juice out. I made double this quantity and I added 1 cup of Macadamia nuts and 1 cup of walnuts (as I ran short of walnuts!!) I also put in 4 tsp of baking powder and 3 tsp of baking soda (I made a mistake and put in baking powder instead of baking soda) but the cake came out great even then!!!
For the Brandy butter the butter should be at room temperature, beat it in an electric mixer add the icing sugar gradually, then add in the vanilla and lastly add the brandy.
Usually cream cheese is put as an icing for carrot cake but I put brandy butter instead. (I Have already doubled the quantity) when the cake is completely cool cover with brandy butter.
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