Carrot Cake

Summary

Yield	Servings
Prep time	2 hours

Carrot Cake Serves 8-12
1 hour: 20 minutes preparation and about 40 minutes to cook.

This is lovely – all moist and yummy.

Scales
Measuring spoons
Sieve
Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon/whisk
Greaseproof paper or baking parchment
Pencil and scissors
1 x 20cm/8 inch round spring form, loose-bottomed cake tin (you can use a non-spring form tin, but it should have a removable bottom!)
Pastry brush (if not using low-cal spray to grease tin)
Measuring jug
Toothpick or thin wooden kebab skewer test cake

		oil or low-cal spray for the cake tin plus greaseproof paper
100	g	vegan margarine
200	g	light brown sugar or caster sugar
3	c	grated carrots – about 4 1/ 2 medium carrots, grated on very small holes
1 1⁄2	c	raisins – crunched up in the food processor or blender for a few minutes
1 1⁄2	tsp	cinnamon
1 1⁄2	t	allspice
1⁄4	t	ground nutmeg
1⁄2	tsp	salt
375	c	fine wholemeal self-raising flour
1	t	bicarbonate of soda
200	ml	soya milk

Oil or spray a 20cm/8 inch loose-bottomed or spring-form cake tin.
Cover the base of the tin with greaseproof paper.
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 - no hotter, as the cake needs to cook quite slowly so the middle cooks but it doesn’t get burned on the top. If you have a fan-assisted oven, reduce this temperature by about 5-10 degrees.
In a saucepan, melt the margarine and then add the sugar. Stir around until it has all melted.
Add the grated carrot, raisins and spices. Let the mixture cook gently for a couple of minutes, but keep stirring with a wooden spoon.
Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl.
Add the mixture from the pan, plus soya milk. Beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until everything is mixed in well.
Pour cake batter into the tin and place on top shelf of oven.
Bake for 40-50 minutes. Test after 35 minutes by sticking a toothpick into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done! Otherwise, put the cake back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or so, testing again.
Meanwhile, make the icing.
Blend the tofu until very smooth – use a blender (stick or goblet) or a food processor.
Add the other ingredients and blend again.
Chill the icing in the fridge in a covered bowl before spreading on cake.
When the cake is ready, cool it on a rack before removing from tin.
When the cake is completely cold, smooth on the icing, using a palette knife or rubber spatula. You can leave it as it is or make patterns with a fork.