This is very straightforward and easy to make and tastes just as good as the complicated versions. It can be made plain, or pineapple and nuts may be added.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

125 ml oil (vegetable or sunflower types, not olive oil)

1/2 zest of one lemon and 1/2 zest of one orange ( or just use one orange OR lemon)

100g carrots, finely grated

75g chopped walnuts if desired

110 g pineapple pieces, drained and finely chopped, if desired

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

60g butter at room temperature

25g icing sugar

125g cream cheese (like Philadelphia)

How to make it

Heat the oven to 150C / 130 C fan oven / Gas Mark 2. Line a cake tin about 20cm across or aBOUT 7″ square.

1. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together and stir in the sugar.

2. Beat the eggs together with the oil and citrus zest.

3. Stir the carrots into the oil mixture.

4. Stir the carrot and oil mixture into the flour mixture and combine as evenly as possible.

5. Fold in the nuts and pineapple if used.

6. Spoon the mixture into the tin, level out the surface and bake for about 1 hour – 1 hr 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.

To make the icing.

1. Beat together butter and icing sugar until soft.

2. Beat in the cream cheese.

3. If you have time chill the mixture in the fridge until it’s thick and spreadable, and then spread a thick layer on top of the cake.  If you are in a hurry you can just spread the icing straight on top of the cake, but it might be a little runny.

Tags: baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, butter, cake, carrot cake, carrots, cinnamon, cream cheese, eggs, icing sugar, lemon, orange, pineapple, plain flour, soft brown sugar, sunflower oil, wallnuts
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Ingredients

1 lb beef mince

3 small apples

1 onion

1 dessertspoonful curry powder

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 slice bread soaked in 1 cup milk

1 egg

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 dessertspoon apricot jam

handul of raisins or sultanas

1 oz dessicated coconut

1 tablespoon chutney

How to Make it

1. In large frying pan, ightly fry the onion and apples. Set aside on plate.
2. Lightly brown the mince until no longer pink.
3. Drain the milk from the bread and reserve the liquid.
4. Add the bread to the mince.
5. Add salt, vinegar and sugar to mince mixture.
6. Add the onions and apples to mixture.
7. Beat the egg with the drained off milk and add to the mixture.
8. Stir in the jam, raisins, coconut and chutney (adjust or leave out according to taste).
9. Turn the mixture into the buttered pyrex dish.
10. Bake in oven for 40 mins at 350F, 180C 170C (fan oven).
11. Prepare small dishes of chopped and sliced accompaniments – banana, tomatoes, pineapple, dessicated coconut, chutney, peppers
12. Serve with boiled rice.

Tags: apple, apricot jam, banana, beef mince, Bread, chutney, coconut, curry powder, egg, milk, onion, peppers, pineapple, raisins, rice, salt, sugar, tomato, vinegar
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Ingredients

2 cups Plain flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup dessicated coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts (if you like)

1 8oz can crushed pineapple (i/2 small can)

1 cup raisins

3 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk (add a tablespoon of lemon juice to ordinary milk and leave to stand for 5 mins).

3/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch salt

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

How to make it

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C / 165C Fan oven
2. Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla essence. Mix well.
4. Add the flour moxture to the egg mixture.
5. In another bowl combine carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins. Mix wel.
6. Add the carrot mixture to the flour mixture. Mix well.
7. Pour into 8″ x 12″ pan and bake for 1 hour, till skewer comes out clean.
8. Leave for at least 20 mins to set before cutting.

Tags: buttermilk, carots, carrot cake, caster sugar, cinnamon, coconut, eggs, pineapple, plain flour, raisins, vegetable oil, walnuts
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