Mini Carrot Cakes

Everybody loves Raymond? Everybody loves carrot cake. These gems are light and dairy-free (discounting the topping) and healthy enough to be a gym snack. Well, not quite. But nearly.







Fresh from the oven

The cakes were lining two by two hurrah, hurrah

CARROT CAKE
one and a half medium-sized carrots, peeled and grated

caster sugar

rapeseed oil

olive oil

raisins (soaked overnight in whisky)

orange zest

orange juice

plain flour

baking powder

 

CREAM CHEESE ICING
cream cheese

unsalted butter, softened (optional)

icing sugar

orange zest

 





One half with filling, the other half not...
 



Mix together the oil, sugar, flour and baking powder.

Once fully combined, add the orange juice, zest and raisins.

Fold in the grated carrots.

Pour into a greased baking tins, and cook at 180C for 35 minutes, or until a skewer can be inserted cleanly.

When baked, leave to cool in their tins for 5-10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cakes get to room temperature, cut them in half using a serrated knife.

 



Assembled

For the topping, if you're using butter, cream it with the sugar first, then add the orange zest and cream cheese.

If not using butter, gently fold the sugar and orange zest into the cream cheese.

 

Fill the cakes with the topping when they completely cool down - you don't want the icing to melt!

Serve with a cup of tea.







All together now...say cheese!







Maple syrup and parsnip cake

This cake could not be classified as healthy, even though if you eat enough of it you will have several of your five-a-day. Unfortunately, the benefits of the apple, parsnip, lime and orange are cancelled out by the devilish amounts of butter, sugar and syrup- but everyone needs to spoil themselves occasionally (regularly in my case). Thoroughly indulgent, this moist treat could tempt even the most stringent of carbophobes!

Maple syrup and parsnip cake

CAKE170g butter
240g soft brown sugar
90ml maple syrup
3 eggs
230g self-raising flour
half a teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
half a teaspoon of nutmeg/ground ginger (optional)
one and a half teaspoons of baking powder (to give an extra lift)
one apple, grated
3 parsnips, grated (about 250g when prepared)
2 shots of whisky
zest of a large orange

TOPPINGmarscapone
ricotta
maple syrup
zest and juice of 2 limes (or to taste... you want the acidic lime to cut through the blandness of the cheeses)

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease two 23cm baking tins.
Over a low-to-medium heat, melt the sugar, butter, whisky and maple syrup together. Once thoroughly melted and combined, set aside to cool down slightly.
Beat the eggs and slowly add into the cooled mixture.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the mixture, then the rest if the ingredients.
Pour into the cases and put into the oven.
After 10 minutes in the oven, turn the heat down to 180C.
The cakes should be cooked after around 35 minutes, but check the cakes with a fork after 25 minutes.
When the cakes have cooked, leave them in their tins for 5 minutes (to keep their shape), and then turn out onto wire racks to cool down.

Maple syrup and parsnip cake

Beat the marscapone until the volume begins to increase.
Then beat in the maple syrup.
Add the ricotta and the lime juice, and whisk until you get a smooth, creamy and sweet mixture.
Once the cakes have cooled down, top them with the icing.

..Try to put your mixture in the oven as soon as you can once you've added the baking power, as it immediately reacts with the wet ingredients.

..You could decorate the cake with walnuts or pecans.

Maple syrup and parsnip cake

Adapted from Catherine Berwick's Parsnip and Maple Syrup Cake