PASSION CAKE

Passion cake, another name for carrot cake, is a healthful dessert that can be enjoyed without guilt. The many beneficial vitamins and nutrients that come along with the package make this tasty treat one that many doctors will have a difficult time advising their patients to avoid. The carrots, nuts and whole grain flour are excellent sources for vitamin A, beta carotene and fiber. When combined with other ingredients to make a passion cake batter, the result is a mouth watering dessert that anyone would be proud to serve and delighted to share with family, friends and loved ones.
Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 175 g grated carrots (young and tender carrots are best for this recipe);
  • 85 g walnuts or pecans;
  • 175 g butter;
  • 75 g granulated sugar;
  • 3 large Eggs;
  • 175 g whole grain self raising flour;
  • 1 ˝ ts baking powder;
  • 1/2 ts mixed spice (optional);
  • 50 g ground almonds;
  • 1 ts milk

For the icing:

  • 300 g quark cheese
  • 50 g confectioners; sugar - sifted
  • 12 halved walnuts or pecans

Steps:

To prepare the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180oC.
  2. Grease and flour (or line) a 20cm cake pan.
  3. Finely grate the carrots and set aside. Do not put them in water.
  4. Coarsely chop the nuts. This step is critical in order for the cake to have the desired texture.
  5. Cream the butter and sugar until soft and light;
  6. Whisk the eggs and gradually beat them into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
  7. Sift the flour together with the baking powder, spice and ground almonds.
  8. Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the creamed ingredients
  9. Add the nuts, milk and grated carrots.
  10. Spoon the batter into the cake pan.
  11. Bake for 1 hour or until firm to the touch.
  12. Cool the finished cake in the cake pan for 5 minutes
  13. Remove the cake from the cake pan and let cool on to a wire cooling tray.

To prepare the icing:

  1. Blend the quark cheese with the confectioners’ sugar.
  2. Split the cold cake horizontally, and fill with a generous layer of the quark cheese icing.
  3. Spread with the remainder of the quark cheese icing on top of the cake and swirl it into an artistic design.
  4. Garnish with the halved walnuts or pecans and serve.


FOOTNOTE:

For a variation on the cake recipe, bakers can try using white flour rather than whole grain flour and omitting the milk.

A very common variation on the icing recipe calls for replacing the quark cheese with cream cheese and a little bit of lemon.

Whether using the recipe as presented or applying one of the variations described at the end of the recipe, it is easy to prepare and a pleasure to serve. Your family is sure to enjoy this healthy dessert and clamor for you to bake it again and again.

 
www.carrotcake.org.uk