EASTER BASKET CAKE
A carrot cake for the Easter Bunny! Find floral wire and modelling paste at squires-shop.com. Buy chocolate pencils at chocolatetradingco.com – or use white chocolate fingers. Hands-on time 1hr 30min, plus cooling, chilling and drying overnight. Cooking time about 30min. Serves 20 FOR THE HANDLE Hamilworth paper-covered floral wire, 24 gauge 600g (1lb 5oz) cream-coloured modelling paste, we used Mexican modelling paste FOR THE CAKE 175ml (6fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra to grease 4 medium eggs, beaten 275g (10oz) caster sugar 300g (11oz) plain flour 2tsp baking powder 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 2tsp ground cinnamon 350g (12oz) carrots, peeled and grated FOR THE ICING 275g (10oz) unsalted butter, softened 375g (13oz) icing sugar, sifted 275g (10oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature 1tsp vanilla extract TO DECORATE White chocolate pencils, about 500g (1lb 2oz), or use white chocolate fingers Ribbons and mini eggs
1 For the basket handle, twist the ends of three pieces of floral wire together to make one long piece about 91.5cm (36in). Repeat twice more and set all three aside. Break off 50g (2oz) Mexican paste (wrap extra paste well to avoid it drying out) and knead until pliable. Roll into a thin strand about 70cm (27½in) long. Press a length of wire along the paste strand and pinch the paste over it to enclose. Roll to even it out and wrap wire-filled strand in clingfilm to keep it soft. Repeat twice more so you have three wire-filled strands. Lay out the three strands next to each other. Pinch strands together about 5cm (2in) from one end, then plait strands, working quickly before paste dries out. On a flat surface, curve into an arc with ends 18cm (7in) apart. Leave to dry, uncovered, in a cool place overnight.
2 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly grease and line base and sides of 2 x 20.5cm (8in) loose-bottom cake tins with a collar of baking parchment at least 10cm (4in) high. In a bowl, beat the oil, eggs and sugar together until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon together, then stir in ½tsp salt. Add to egg mixture and combine. Fold in carrots. Spoon into tins, level surface and bake for 25-30min, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
3 Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 10min, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
4 For the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl until stiff. Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
5 Put one cake on a board the same size and spread with a third of the icing. Put the second cake on top. Cover with another third of icing. Spread the remaining icing over the sides of the cake. Press chocolate pencils (or fingers) on to the sides of the cake. Chill for 30min. Tie a ribbon around the cake, press the dried ‘handle’ into the top and fill with Easter eggs.
PER SERVING 484cals, 5g protein, 33g fat (17g saturates), 40g carbs (29g total sugars), 1g fibre
GET AHEAD Remove the basket handle and store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.