Carrot Cake

Ingredients

175 g light muscovado or soft brown sugar
175 ml sunflower oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
140 g grated carrots (about 3 medium)
100 g raisins
1 large orange grated zest of
175 g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)
Frosting  
125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
50 g icing sugar
250 g cream cheese

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ (fan 160℃).
  2. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18 cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
  3. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs.  Lightly mix with a wooden spoon.
  4. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
  5. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl.  Lightly mix all the ingredients until evenly amalgamated.  The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
  6. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy.
  7. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
    (You can freeze the cake at this point.)
  8. Cream cheese frosting:  For the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar together until soft and then beat in the cream cheese. Spread a thick layer on top of the cake.

Notes

  • Ingredient amounts don’t need to be exact.
  • May need to bake longer and at a lower temp in a loaf tin.  Two small loaf tins cook for same amount as a large square tin.
  • Tested successfully with gluten free flour

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

(Amounts can be halved and you'll still get plenty!)

You'll need a large mixing bowl (with a mixing spoon) plus a baking tray (and tea spoon).
A wire cooling rack would also be useful.

Ingredients

1¼ cup 250 g butter or margarine, softened
2 cups 400 g sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups 300 g unsifted plain flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
½ tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C.

  1. Cream the butter (or margarine) and sugar in a large bowl then blend in the eggs and vanilla.
  2. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and stir the mixture together.
  3. Stir in the nuts, if desired.
  4. Drop the mixture, by teaspoon, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.
    Do not over bake. The cookies will be soft. They puff up while baking and flatten while cooling.
  5. Cool on the cookie sheet until completely set (about 10 minutes) then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 4½ dozen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

250 g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
170 g unsalted butter, melted
200 g dark brown soft sugar
100 g caster sugar
1 vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
325 g chocolate chips

Method

Prep: 10 mins. Cook: 15 mins.

  1. Preheat the oven to 170℃. Grease baking trays or line with parchment.
  2. Sift together the flour, bicarb and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and caster sugar until well blended.
  4. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.
  5. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
  6. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
  7. Drop cookie dough onto the prepared baking trays, with each cookie around 4 tablespoons of dough (for smaller cookies, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful and adjust baking time as necessary). Do not flatten the dough. Cookies should be about 8cm apart.
  8. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.
  9. Cool on baking trays for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.