Cakes & Frostings

                   Carrot Cake



 1 cup oil

 1 cup sugar

 1 cup brown sugar

 1 tsp. vanilla

 4 eggs

 2 cups flour, whole wheat

 1/3 cup dry milk

 1 tsp. baking soda

 1 tsp. salt

 1 tsp. baking powder

 2 tsp. cinnamon

 3 cups carrots, shredded

 1 cup walnuts, chopped



 In large bowl, blend oil and sugars on low until well mixed.

 Add vanilla.

 Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

 Stir together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture until well blended.

 Stir in walnuts and carrots by hand.

 Pour batter into well greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or fluted pan.

 Bake at 350�F for 50-60 minutes.

 Cool in pan, then top with powdered sugar or frosting of your choice.

Thunder Cake

                       Makes a 9x13 inch cake

        This recipe was adapted from Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

                       (Philomel Books, 1990).

    3 eggs 					1 teaspoon vanilla

    1-3/4 cup sugar				2-1/2 cups cake flour

    1 fresh tomato, peeled (see Note)		1/2 cup dry cocoa

    and pureed in the blender 

    1/2 teaspoon salt				1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

    1 cup cold water 				Powdered sugar, to decorate

    2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter



    Note: To peel a tomato, dip in boiling water for several seconds, which

    loosens skin and makes it simple to remove. Cut tomato in half crosswise

    and squeeze out seeds.

    1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.

    Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a small dish and the whites in a

    large, grease-free bowl.

    2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat

    in the yolks and vanilla, followed by the water and pureed tomato. Sift

    together the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the mixing bowl

    and mix well.

    3. Beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold them into the batter

    lightly - it won't matter if a few lumps of white still show. Pour into

    prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until firm when pressed in the

    center. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar pressed through a

    kitchen strainer.

                Moist Fruit Cake from Rita       

 

 2 cups self raising flour

 3 cups (500g) mixed dried fruit

 3 egg whites

 1 cup mashed pumpkin (250g raw)

 1/2 cup sugar

 1 cup water

 1 tsp. bicarb soda

 1 tsp. mixed spices



 Preheat oven 180�C. Place fruit , sugar, spices and water in a saucepan, boil for 3 minutes.

 Stir in bicarb soda, leave to cool.

 Boil or microwave pumpkin, drain, mash, leave to cool.

 Mix pumpkin and fruit mix together, stir in egg whits well.

 Fold in flour.

 Pour mixture into 19cm (8") round tin coated with cooking spray and bake approximately 1 hour per slice 

           Poppy Seed Coffee Cake



 2 cups flour

 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

 1/2 tsp. baking soda

 1/2 tsp. salt

 1 stick salted butter, room temperature

 1 cup sugar

 3 large eggs

 1 tbsp. lemon extract (or 2 tsp. grated lemon peel)

 1/4 cup poppy seeds

 1 cup buttermilk



 Preheat oven to 350�F.

 Prepare a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan, or a tube pan, by buttering generously and then dusting with flour, tapping out excess flour.

 In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

 In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter at high speed until soft and smooth, about 1 minute.

 Add sugar in two parts and continue beating at medium speed after each addition until mixture is fluffy. Total mixing time is about 4-5 minutes. (Be sure to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula at least once.)

 At medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating only until they are well blended.

 Add a third of the dry ingredients, the lemon extract or peel, all the poppy seeds, and a third of the buttermilk.

 Mix at medium speed about 20 seconds.  Do this twice more with the remaining 2/3 dry ingredients and flour.

 Finally, beat the batter for about 1 minute, until it is smooth looking.  DO NOT OVERBEAT.

 Pour batter into pan.

 Level the top with a spatula.

 Tap the pan on the counter gently a couple of times to settle the batter evenly.

 Bake 40-45 minutes, until top is browned and feels springy, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 Allow cake to cool in pan about 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.