

Carrot cake
Serves 10-12


Ingredients:
-
170g unrefined caster sugar
-
4 eggs
-
235ml groundnut / sunflower oil
-
150g grated carrot
-
50g (one fruit) grated apple
-
150g sultanas
-
75g pecans / walnuts, roughly chopped
-
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
-
Good pinch of cinnamon
-
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
-
225g wholemeal self-raising flour
Icing:
-
400g low-fat cream cheese*
-
Dollop of vanilla bean paste
-
200g icing sugar or natural sweetener (such as carob or agave syrup) to taste
*Tip* Waitrose's low fat cream cheese has just 0.7g of sat fat per 30g, whereas most others have 2.2 g!
Method:
-
Preheat the oven to 180 fan.
-
Beat the eggs, sugar and oil in a bowl until it's fluffy and pale.
-
Mix in the carrot, apple, nuts, dried fruit and lemon.
-
In a separate bowl, add the flour, bicarb and cinnamon. As it's wholegrain, you won't be able to sift it, so give it a mix with a whisk to fluff it up.
-
Fold the flour mix into the creamed eggs and oil.
-
Divide evenly into two round 8-inch cake tins, greased with oil.
-
Bake for 30 minutes. (check after 20 and pierce with a skewer to see if it comes out clean.)
-
Leave the cakes to cool completely before turning out.
-
To make the icing, beat the cream cheese with a whisk until it has become fluffy.
-
Add the vanilla and icing sugar, or natural sweetener to taste.
-
Chill the icing and use half to sandwich the cakes together, and the other half to decorate the top.


Health
-
Obviously this is still cake and has sugar in it, so probably shouldn't be eaten every day.
-
Grated apple meant I could reduce the sugar content by 1/3.
-
Carrots, apples, and sultanas all provide a host of vitamins and minerals, while the nuts are sources of monounsaturated fats, and walnuts are sources of alpha linoleic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid.
-
Using groundnut oil or a sunflower or olive oil, in a reduced capacity, is much better than butter, as it has much less sat fat and is a source of mono and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower bad cholesterol.
-
Low-fat cream cheese still isn't ideal, but whipping it and only having a little amount isn't too bad for you, and very good for your soul.
