Banana & Carrot Cake
This delightful cake is a harmonious blend of sweet and earthy flavors, showcasing the goodness of bananas, carrots, nuts, and a touch of orange zest. With warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and mixed spice, every bite is a comforting delight. Whether you opt for a luscious cream cheese icing or a simple dusting of icing sugar, this cake is sure to impress with its moist texture and rich, aromatic taste.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 180g soft brown sugar
- 180g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 180g Sunflower oil
- 120g walnut pieces or almonds
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 180g grated carrot
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
- handful of sultanas (Or mixed fruit if needs using)
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice (You could use half an orange in juice for a really moist cake, if you do then decorate with small zigzags of icing rather than a heavy topping)
- For the topping: (Optional)
- 80g Butter
- 80g Cream cheese
- 175g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- chopped walnuts or almonds to decorate
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C. Line and grease a 20cm diameter cake tin. Mix the sugar, eggs and orange juice until well combined and thickened. sift in (Together) the flour, baking powder, salt, bicarb, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg.
- Mix these all together thoroughly and then add the oil, almond/walnuts, bananas, carrot, sultanas and Zest. Give this a thorough mix then pour into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it is cooked. Remember if the skewer or knife comes out clean then it is ready. If it is not ready and is starting to get quite brown on the top then place a piece of foil over the top. When out of the oven cool on a wire rack.
- If icing: Beat the butter and cheese together to form a smooth paste, then add the sugar and vanilla. Spread all over the cold cake and decorate around the edges with the whole nuts. I don't decorate our cakes as I am always making them for lunches and too much sugar is a sin!!! However I always decorate my cakes for visitors etc. If you like a topping but like me take them to work, then just before you put the cak in the oven either place some blanched almonds on top of the mixture or some demerara sugar sprinkled all over, this gives a sweet crunchy top! Or mix a very small drop of water in some sieved icing sugar until it makes a thick paste and pour in streaks over the top of your cold cake. This is sweet but less messy than cheese topping!
Yield
Serves 8
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