Recipe - Carrot Cake and Ginger Cake

Today is a fast day and very bravely I've spent it in the kitchen baking.   The carrot cake I made the day before yesterday went down so well, I decided to make another two, one for the week and one slightly richer, more adult version for the freezer.  I also tried out a ginger cake recipe too.  I've decided to start using my two freezers better than I have been and fill them up with proper home cooked food, instead of spending a fortune in the supermarket every week.  As always, forgive the photography... these are just the loaf cakes as they cool down, and will be frozen without being decorated or frosted.  Or, in the case of the ginger cake, sliced thickly and covered in lashings of custard... roll on tomorrow, is all I am saying.  Roll on tomorrow.

L-R:  Carrot Cakes and Ginger Cake

Carrot Cake (the lighter coloured one)
2 eggs
150 ml vegetable oil
200g soft light brown sugar
300g carrots, grated
175g self raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas Mark 2.  Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper, leaving the sides above the tin for easy removal.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl to break them up.  Whisk in the oil, the sugar, grated carrots.  Sift in the remaining ingredients and stir using a large spoon.  

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth the top with a knife.  Bake in the oven for between 60 - 75 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes on a rack before removing the cake from the tin by lifting up the baking paper.  When cool, decorate with frosting (if you want) or just slice and eat.  Ours rarely reaches the frosting stage.

Carrot Cake (the darker coloured one) 

Follow the same recipe and steps as above, but I used Molasses sugar that I had left over after Christmas to give a richer, more grown up cake.

Ginger Cake

60g butter

125g golden syrup

100g plain flour

25g self raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

100g Molasses sugar

pinch of salt

125 ml milk

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3.  Grease and line a loaf tin.

Put the butter and sugar into a small pan and melt over a low heat, stirring.  Set aside once butter has melted.

Sift flours, bicarbonate of soda, and the spices into a large bowl.  Add the sugar and the salt.  Add the egg and the milk, mixing until smooth.  Gradually add the melted butter and syrup, stirring until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the tin, and bake for 50 - 55 minutes until the cake is risen and firm to the touch.  Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. 

So, now the cakes are all sliced up, triple wrapped and frozen, the question is - what to make next?  I might make some pancakes for the minions to have for their breakfasts and I have a feeling that Mr G will be requesting Sultana Scones, his favourite... anything for the love of my life ;-)