Ready, steady... bake

It’s official, our love of cake is now adding to inflation. To the latest review of the government’s inflation counting basket of goods has been added bakeware, a product of the so-called ‘Bake Off effect’ as the influence of the Great British Bake Off continues to impact on both our kitchen and our wallets

Cake is replacing alcohol as the go-to celebratory centrepiece, as well as almost becoming a currency in its own right as cake stalls, ‘bring a cake to work’ days, cupcake towers and afternoon tea parties show that gorging on cake remains one of our favourite fundraising endeavours – followed hot on the heels by sponsored running. Perhaps the two are not entirely unrelated. Every family has its own signature cake. As a kid I was always rather jealous of friends whose mothers baked jam and cream filled Victoria Sandwiches, as my mother’s only cake was a fruit tea loaf cake, which seemed rather dull in comparison.

And as for the kid whose mother made a Black Forest Gateau, I suspect they had more friends than anyone else in the village.

There’s an inherent generosity in baking a cake for someone. It takes a little time. It takes a little care and skill – there are very few such skilful bakers who can just ‘throw a cake together’. For most of us mere baking mortals, baking a cake is one of the few times the kitchen scales come out and we follow recipes to the last letter.

And you know when you bake a cake, you and your cake are going to be judged, every bit as critically as if Paul Hollywood himself had popped round to give your best sponge the once over.

I’m not a great cake baker, but even I can get this simple, but incredibly moreish, carrot cake right every time. It’s moist, spicy and has a liberal helping of walnuts running through it. I’ve baked it in a bread tin, but a round cake tin, or individual cakes, work just as well. Bake and enjoy yourself, or bake for a friend, or maybe bake for Mum for Mother’s Day. Ready, steady…Bake!

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs 200ml sunflower oil 250g grated carrot 150g chopped walnuts 200g self-raising flour 2 tsp mixed spice Pinch of salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 200g soft brown sugar 150g unsalted butter 300g cream cheese 50g caster sugar

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a large loaf tin with baking paper.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, then add the sunflower oil and beat further. Mix in the grated carrot and walnuts.

Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda in a separate bowl. Add the mixed spice, the salt and the sugar. Mix well. Add in the carrot mixture ensuring no dry pockets of flour remain.

Pour into the tin and bake for 60 minutes. Check with a skewer and if needed bake for a further 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. This will be delicious unfrosted, but if you have a sweet tooth, add the frosting of butter, sugar and cream cheese.