If there came a time when there was no more cake left to eat in this world, I think I will survive without any problems. There I said it; It sounds almost like a guilty confession doesn’t it? I have never enjoyed cakes in my childhood because of the terrible Mawa (Milk based) Cakes we would get in obscure bakeries back home. While the sweet makers of Ulhasnagar churned amazingly delicious Indian desserts, their cakes left a lot to be desired, and we bore the brunt of it.
Mind you some of the Mawa cakes were to die for but if I remember 9 out of the 10 cakes you ate would make you die or atleast visit the toilet more times than you would care to admit. Laced with all sort of colors the cakes were an exercise in having your fingers painted in all kinds of weird colors that would take days to come off. I would almost dread going to a birthday party because of the bad cakes served along with the trademark Potato Wafers.
So I grew up detesting frosted cakes but loving simple plain Butter or fruit cakes that had no icing but tasted delicious nevertheless. A famous local cake shop in India called “Monginis” would make these Butter cakes and sell them by slice and god knows how many of those slices I consumed on my own.
Ofcourse things have changed now as the quality of cakes we get back home has risen to incredible levels. I have also started to enjoy a beautiful frosting on a cake once in a while, but my heart still likes the simple everyday cakes that come with no fancy decoration. These cakes might not win the best looking cakes award, but they have always tasted good.
So whenever I bake cakes, they are usually icing and frosting free. I think there is only 1 cake on my blog that has some frosting on it but apart from that all my cakes are simple. And this Carrot cake is my favorite and I can safely say is also the best cake I make. It is unbelievably moist and melts in your mouth with every bite. Ofcourse one can decorate it with some frosting but I love to just sprinkle some Icing Sugar on it and we are happy in each others company.
Recipe (Cooking time 60 minutes)
1½ cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) Flour
1¼ cups (220g) Brown Sugar
¾ cup (185ml) Flavorless Vegetable Oil
1½ teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) Soda
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground Ginger ( I did not have ground Ginger so I used grated fresh Ginger, and it tasted good as well)
3 Eggs
2½ cups grated Carrot (about 5 medium sized carrots)
½ cup (60g) chopped Walnuts OR flaked Almonds
½ cup (80g) Sultanas/Raisins
Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees C. Grease a 22cm-round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper and keep aside.
Add the Oil and Brown Sugar in a bowl together and mix them well, using an electric hand mixer or in a food processor.
Add the Eggs one by one till incorporated well.
In another bowl sift the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Cinnamon together.
Mix the Dry flour mixture gently into the Egg mixture.
Add the freshly grated Ginger or Ginger powder and Carrots slowly folding them in the wet Egg mixture.
Add the Almonds/Walnuts and Raisins and pour the batter into the Cake tin.
Bake for 55 – 60 minutes till done or your skewer comes out clean.
Let the cake cool before you remove it from the tin. Sprinkle some Icing Sugar on top and serve. The cake stays fresh in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
