Recipe: Carrot and pineapple cake

Bell Tea is celebrating its 120^th Birthday! It is such a Kiwi institution that Anna Cameron from baking blog Just a Mum NZ has shared a classic Carrot Cake Recipe to serve with a classic cup of Bell Original Tea, when you’re bringing people together. It is a rich, decadent, deep blend of flavours which is simple to create. This cake gets better every day and keeps well in the freezer un-iced if you want to make it ahead of time.

Carrot and pineapple cake

20 minutes prep time, 50 minutes cook time.

Serves: 16 people

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 ½  cups grated carrot (about 3 whole carrots)
• 1 ½ cups walnut pieces
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (canned, drained)
• 2 cups plain white flour, divided – ½ cup initially then remaining 1.5 cups
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups canola oil

Cream cheese icing

• 100g butter, room temp
• 100g cream cheese, room temp
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 – 2 tsp vanilla, to taste

Directions:

Cake

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Grease and line the base of a 23cm cake tin, and set aside
• Combine carrot, walnuts, pineapple and first ½ cup flour in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• In a second large bowl, add the remaining 1 ½ cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Blend well and set aside.
• Using a food mixer or electric beater, in a medium bowl combine the eggs and sugar and lightly mix together.
• To the egg and sugar mixture, slowly pour in the oil, beating all the time, until it begins to emulsify. It will change colour and become smooth as all the sugar is blended in.
• Finally, add to the flour the egg mixture and the carrot mixture, and mix until just combined.
• Spoon batter into the prepared cake tin.
• Bake for 45 – 65 minutes. As oven temperatures and tin sizes vary, begin to check the cake at 45 minutes. It may take up to 20 mins longer. The cake is ready once a knife or skewer comes out clean and springs back to a light touch.
• Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for at least 20 mins before carefully removing and cooling completely on a wire rack before icing.

Icing

• In a large food mixer bowl add the butter and beat for 4 minutes until pale and creamy.
• Add the cream cheese and combine well.
• Add the icing sugar and vanilla and mix gently until completely combined.
• Spread over cooled cake and decorate with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and freeze-dried raspberries (if desired).

For more delicious recipes by Just a Mum NZ, visit justamumnz.com 

www.belltea.co.nz