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Carrot Cake Disaster

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Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu May 14, 2020 2:13 pm

I had another craving for something sweet this week. Only the second in 60 days. I had a load of carrots in the fridge, from a veggie box I got a week or so ago, so I thought I´d make a carrot cake. I´ve never made one before, since I´m probably the world´s worst baker.
All the recipes I looked at asked for walnuts or pecans, which I hadn´t got. Finally, I found a recipe which only required carrots and raisins (which I DID have) as well as orange - which I also had. "Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting" was a total disaster. First of all, the cake was not cooked through properly, even though I cooked it for 10 extra minutes. All the raisins sunk to the bottom. Then, the "frosting" was not right; it was more like a thick creamy sauce rather than frosting, and I could feel the tiny grains of powdered sugar. I looked at it when I finished and concluded wryly that, if this effort had been on Masterchef, I´d be running, not walking to the exit :crying1
The only redeeming factor was that the flavour was good - carrots, raisins, orange and cream cheese all worked together very well. :yum
The recipe I used was for enormous quantities of cake, so I painstakingly halved all the ingredients. It still made enough cake to last me a week.
I´m trying to locate the link so you can take a look at the recipe; I didn´t bookmark it; just wrote it down into my little recipe book.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu May 14, 2020 2:25 pm

Of all the carrot cake recipes, what made you pick out this one? (as you say the quantities were way too big).

I love carrot cake, but the one time I made it, Tony wasn't keen (although it was very good).
So I don't bake it ever.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Seatallan » Thu May 14, 2020 2:48 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Of all the carrot cake recipes, what made you pick out this one? (as you say the quantities were way too big).

I love carrot cake, but the one time I made it, Tony wasn't keen (although it was very good).
So I don't bake it ever.


I think kara picked that recipe because it was the only one that didn't incude ingredients kara didn't have.

Sorry it didn't work out kara. I wonder if it was because you halved everything? I've found in the past that sometimes that just doesn't work for some reason.
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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu May 14, 2020 2:57 pm

This is the recipe I use, as recommended by Suelle

https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/y ... rrot-cake/

It seems to be foolproof

You can always exchange the “bits” for what you have, if the recipe says chopped nuts use raisins or sultanas or vice versa, it’s only a problem with ground nuts

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Sakkarin » Thu May 14, 2020 3:23 pm

By coincidence I had carrot cake for lunch, made to the Yummy Scrummy recipe!

Slightly tweaked, and downsized to 1 egg as I usually do with cakes, so my ingredients were:

1 Egg
1 tsp Orange Extract
60g Brown sugar
60g Sunflower oil

60g Plain flour (leave out baking powder if self raising)
60g Grated carrot
40g Currants EDIT: No, I used sultanas!
1 tsp Mixed spice
3/4 tsp Baking powder
1/3 tsp Bicarbonate

Preheat oven before starting
1-4 mixed well, then 5-10 added and combined thoroughly
Cooked at 160 for 30 minutes in a 1lb loaf tin

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu May 14, 2020 3:53 pm

I´ve been looking in vain for the link for the past 30 minutes. No luck, so here´s the original recipe. Like I said, this is enough for a football team, so I halved it. (NOTE: I absolutely hate and despise measurements in cups, :o so I diligently measured everything in grams :lol: )

1 1/2 cups (360 mls) vegetable oil
1 cup (210 gms) brown sugar
1 cup (210 gms) white sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (65 mls) orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange peel
2 cups (320 gms) flour
2 tsps baking soda (bicarbonate of soda?)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups (500 gms) finely grated carrots
1 cup (180 gms) raisins
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 8oz pkts (450 gms) cream cheese
1 cup (200 gms) unsalted butter
6 tbsps orange juice
5 cups (1050 gms) powdered sugar
2 tsps orange peel

Heat oven to 325F /165C / Gas Mark 3. Butter 13x9x2 baking pan.Line bottom with buttered greaseproof paper.Beat oil and sugar until well blended, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange juice & peel.Sift flour, baking powders,spice and salt in a large bowl.Add the sugar mixture and blend.Fold in the carrots & raisins. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and cool before turning out.
FROSTING Beat cream cheese and butter until light. Beat in orange juice and peel. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes until thick enough to spread.

Ok - I chose this recipe because I didn´t have any nuts - except almonds, which I imagined would change the flavour. I also had loads of oranges to use up AND I had raisins. And I only made half the quantity.
As I said, it tasted good, but that was about the only redeeming feature. I also cooked it for 10 more minutes, because I live at 4,000 ft above sea level. apart from that, I stuck to my principles with a "first time" recipe and followed the instructions exactly.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu May 14, 2020 4:06 pm

The proportions of that recipe seem odd - 500g of carrot but only 4 eggs and 320 g flour, that’s going to be wet

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby slimpersoninside » Thu May 14, 2020 4:13 pm

Sakkarin wrote:By coincidence I had carrot cake for lunch, made to the Yummy Scrummy recipe!

Slightly tweaked, and downsized to 1 egg as I usually do with cakes, so my ingredients were:

1 Egg
1 tsp Orange Extract
60g Brown sugar
60g Sunflower oil

60g Plain flour (leave out baking powder if self raising)
60g Grated carrot
40g Currants
1 tsp Mixed spice
3/4 tsp Baking powder
1/3 tsp Bicarbonate

Preheat oven before starting
1-4 mixed well, then 5-10 added and combined thoroughly
Cooked at 160 for 30 minutes in a 1lb loaf tin


Is that fan or normal oven please Sakkarin?

Thank you for this recipe, I like the idea of a small cake as carrot is not the most desireable cake in this household...but I like it :!: .

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby smitch » Thu May 14, 2020 4:15 pm

I agree with Sue. In addition to the large amount of carrot is a fair bit of liquid too. This is the recipe I normally use but omit the nuts as I rarely have them https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/cookbook-confidential-blog/2017/10/18/carrot-cake/

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu May 14, 2020 4:30 pm

Far be it from me to be picky, but the flour isn't enough, is it for an enormous cake?
Should be 420g or so?

2 cups (320 gms) flour

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Sakkarin » Thu May 14, 2020 4:36 pm

Is that fan or normal oven please Sakkarin?

It's a fan oven, but check thoroughly the first time you make it!

The original recipe (full cake) was 45 minutes, I set my oven for 30 minutes, and the cake was spot on, but had I left it longer it would probably have burnt, so I advise you check at 25 minutes...

I'll keep an eye on KK's cake, as I'd like one that uses more carrot than the Yummy Scrummy one, so I can feel it's more "one-of-your-five-a-dayish" (I already upped the carrot slightly from 50g to 60g).

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby dennispc » Thu May 14, 2020 5:03 pm

Rachael Allan’s recipe I use needs longer than stated, or does in our oven.

Always make it in a loaf tin, much easier to cut in slices.

Tried adding topping once, never again, family and us are happy without.

For years I never used nuts, now depends on whose having it.

Generally use sultanas.

For vegan friend, just left out the eggs. Easier eating it with a spoon.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Suelle » Thu May 14, 2020 5:10 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Far be it from me to be picky, but the flour isn't enough, is it for an enormous cake?
Should be 420g or so?

2 cups (320 gms) flour


2 cups usually converts to around 300g depending on which conversion chart you use - sometimes it's less!
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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Suelle » Thu May 14, 2020 5:15 pm

Stokey Sue wrote:This is the recipe I use, as recommended by Suelle

https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/y ... rrot-cake/

It seems to be foolproof

You can always exchange the “bits” for what you have, if the recipe says chopped nuts use raisins or sultanas or vice versa, it’s only a problem with ground nuts


I still use that recipe, as my daughter isn't keen on nuts. I managed to undercook it the last time I tried it, but that's the first time it's ever failed. It is quite low on carrots, but because of that, makes a very light cake, which we prefer.

I wouldn't exchange the dried fruit for nuts, as raisins are absorbent, but nuts aren't. It's probably not enough of an issue to make the cake fail, though.
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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Sakkarin » Thu May 14, 2020 5:16 pm

Generally use sultanas
Ah, yes, I used sultanas too, the recipe said raisins, and my mistake which I'll rectify in my recipe said currants!

I would have used raisins, but sultanas are much cheaper.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Mrs Vee » Thu May 14, 2020 5:41 pm

That sounds like a nice small-sized cake, Sakkarin. I have a shortage of vegetable oil though - would melted unsalted butter work? Thanks.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby slimpersoninside » Thu May 14, 2020 6:04 pm

Sakkarin wrote:
Is that fan or normal oven please Sakkarin?

It's a fan oven, but check thoroughly the first time you make it!

The original recipe (full cake) was 45 minutes, I set my oven for 30 minutes, and the cake was spot on, but had I left it longer it would probably have burnt, so I advise you check at 25 minutes...

I'll keep an eye on KK's cake, as I'd like one that uses more carrot than the Yummy Scrummy one, so I can feel it's more "one-of-your-five-a-dayish" (I already upped the carrot slightly from 50g to 60g).


Thanks Sakkarin.

I usually take cooking times as a sort of suggestion when trying a cake for the first time, it can depend so much on different ovens.

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Suelle » Thu May 14, 2020 6:27 pm

Mrs Vee wrote:That sounds like a nice small-sized cake, Sakkarin. I have a shortage of vegetable oil though - would melted unsalted butter work? Thanks.


Usually you need to adjust the quantities slightly as oil is 100% fat, but butter is only around 80% fat, but I think for these small amounts it won't matter.
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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Mrs Vee » Thu May 14, 2020 6:31 pm

Thanks Suelle.

I think I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!

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Re: Carrot Cake Disaster

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu May 14, 2020 7:09 pm

Suelle, I was even more out before.
I've got Joseph Joseph "cups", and thought at first a cup (of flour) was 250g.

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