Carrot Cake

This easy recipe makes a deliciously moist, lightly spiced cake. The cream cheese icing is soft and creamy.

Serves about 8-10.

167ml (2/3 cup) sunflower oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
124g (1/2 cup) drained crushed pineapple (unsweetened)
180g (1 1/3 cups) finely grated carrot
80g (2/3 cup) chopped pecan nuts
295g (1 1/3 cups) caster sugar
200g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
Extra chopped pecan nuts, for decorating

Preheat oven to 180 C

• Grease the side and base of a 20cm diameter round cake pan. Line base and side of the pan with non-stick baking paper.
• Stir oil, eggs, vanilla, pineapple, carrot, pecans and caster sugar together in a large bowl. 
• Sift in flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda.
• Stir until combined.
• Pour mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake in ring pan for 45-50 minutes. Cover cake with a clean tea towel and allow to cool in pan.

When cake has cooled, spread top and sides with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with extra pecans.

Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

(Double to coat whole cake)

60g cream cheese, softened
30g (1 1/2 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 teaspoons (10ml) fresh lemon juice
180g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese, butter and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and beat until icing is smooth. 

STEAK NORMANDY

Don't miss the instruction to marinade overnight, or that it takes 3 hours to cook!  It is well worth the wait!!

Serves: 8
Prep time: 15 minutes plus marinating overnight
Cooking time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
6 T flour
4 T brown sugar
Salt and white pepper
2 kg beef goulash
6 large onions
4 t dried mixed herbs
5 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T Worcester sauce
5 T tomato sauce
5 T brown vinegar
1 cup beef stock
6-8 rashers bacon
Cooking instructions:
Mix the flour, sugar and salt and pepper, to taste, in a bowl. Add the meat and toss to coat. Peel and slice the onions and line the bottom and sides of a casserole dish with the slices. Sprinkle with mixed herbs and the crushed garlic.
Add the flourcoated meat and any excess flour to your onion-lined casserole dish. Pour over the Worcester sauce, tomato sauce, vinegar and stock.
Cover with a lid or clingfilm and allow to stand for 6 to 8 hours or better still, overnight. Remove the clingfilm, and lay the streaky bacon over the meat. Cover the dish snugly with tinfoil or with its lid.
Bake, covered at 180°C for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 2 hours. Serve with steamed rice and peas.

Charly’s Decadent Chocolate Caramel Cake

I used Nougat Liqueur, really delicious, different take on chocolate cake, enjoy !!

250g sugar

250ml water

125g cake flour

2 ½  tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

250g butter

125g sugar

200g dark chocolate

5 eggs

125ml liqueur of your choice (I love Amarula or Tia Maria)

200g dark chocolate

1 can Nestle Caramel Treat

To make the syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil.

Cool and then chill while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Spray a large deep ring cake tin with cooking spray. (Use an old-fashioned cake ring with a hole in the middle, not a chiffon pan.)

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Melt the butter, sugar and chocolate together in a glass bowl or double boiler over hot water.

Allow to cool and then transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl.

Beat in the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

Add the liqueur and beat well again. Fold in the flour mixture.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

When the cake is done, remove from the oven, pour the syrup over it and leave to cool in the cake tin.

For the topping, melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water and mix it into the Caramel Treat. (Don't snack!)

When the cake is cold, turn it out of the pan. Allow any excess syrup to run off.

Spread the icing over the cake with a palette knife. This is a lot of icing. Use it all - you won't regret it.

This cake lasts very well and doesn't need refrigeration.