The Cakes - a set on Flickr - Gaetan Lee

The Cakes - a set on Flickr

Gaetan Lee

Cakes that have been made for a friends wedding.

Based on the folowing recipe from sainsbury magazine:

For the cake
125g unsalted butter
150g light muscavado sugar
2 medium size eggs
150g self raising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5ml spoon ground ginger
125g finely grated carrot
50ml milk
For the cream cheese filling
200g soft cream cheese
75g icing sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
For decoration
250ml vegetable oil
1 carrot, peeled into thin strips with a potato peeler
zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips (julienne)
125g sugar
125g caster sugar


Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, gas mark 5. Have ready two 18cm non-stick sandwich tins.
Cream the butter and muscavado sugar in a bowl until light in colour.
Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
Fold in the flour and spices.
Stir in the fruit, nuts, carrot and milk. Divide the mixture between the cake tins.
Bake on the middle oven shelf in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
To make the filling; cream the cheese and sugar in a bowl by hand, taking care not overmix. Add the lemon.
Heat the oil in a saucepan to 175°C and fry the carrot strips until crispy, drain on absorbent kitchen paper and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Place the julienned lemon zest into a pan of water and bring to the boil. Strain the lemon and refresh under cold water. Repeat this process, then return the lemon to the pan and cover with 75ml of water and add 75g sugar and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until the zest is soft, remove from the sticky syrup and roll in caster sugar.
Sandwich the sponges together with half of the cheese mix. Spread the remaining half on top and sprinkle the crispy carrot, sugared zest and toasted nuts over the cake.