Baking with Jackie Cameron, by Jackie Cameron, R290, (Struik Lifestyle), is a compilation of this award-winning chef’s recipes. Try something a bit different like this dark carrot cake

INGREDIENTS

  • 140g cake flour
  • 200g castor sugar
  • 5ml bicarbonate of soda
  • 2,5ml baking powder
  • 2,5ml fine salt
  • 5ml ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 185ml sunflower oil
  • 5ml vanilla extract
  • 440g tin crushed pineapple in syrup
  • 55g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
  • 65g seedless raisins
  • 120g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
  • 20g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

FOR THE COCOA CREAM CHEESE ICING

  • 500g plain smooth cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 260g icing sugar, sifted
  • 40g cocoa powder, sifted

METHOD 

  1. Sift the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.
  2. Whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla extract and the crushed pineapple and syrup together.
  3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.
  4. Add the pecan nuts, raisins, chocolate chunks and grated carrot and stir to combine.
  5. Pour the mixture into a lined and greased 22cm cake pan.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for about 75 minutes, or until cooked. Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly then place on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
  7. To make the cocoa cream cheese icing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Spread thickly over the top and sides of the cake.

This recipe makes one 22cm cake