https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/carrot-and-coconut-cake • Posted by A Bite To Eat
Carrot Cake has been a long time favourite at Teacup, and the pastry chefs have spent years experimenting to get the perfect balance between rich sponge, crunchy nuts, tangy ginger and sweet carrots. This most recent incarnation calls upon walnuts, toasted coconut and orange zest, and is best enjoyed with a nice cup of tea. This recipe makes a large, celebration sized cake – perfect for birthdays and parties.
Carrot Cake has been a long time favourite at Teacup, and the pastry chefs have spent years experimenting to get the perfect balance between rich sponge, crunchy nuts, tangy ginger and sweet carrots. This most recent incarnation calls upon walnuts, toasted coconut and orange zest, and is best enjoyed with a nice cup of tea. This recipe makes a large, celebration sized cake – perfect for birthdays and parties.
Start by making the toffee sauce. At Teacup we use this in a lot of our cakes and desserts, and it can be made the day before and kept in the fridge if it saves you some time.
Begin by making caramel. Place the caster sugar and 50ml water in a pan, heat slowly over a low to medium heat without stirring. After a few minutes, the sugar will start to dissolve and the mixture will turn clear and begin to bubble.
Turn up to a medium heat and resist the urge to stir, as this will encourage the sugar to crystallise. As the bubbles get larger, keep a careful watch over the pan as the colour will develop very quickly, and caramel can burn in the blink of an eye. Once the sugar has begun to turn amber remove from the heat and carefully mix in the butter (be cautious here because the caramel will be very hot and may spit).
Once the butter has melted, stir in the cream and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. The mixture should be a golden caramel colour and will thicken slightly as it cools. Whilst the toffee sauce is cooling, preheat your oven to 160°C and get cracking on the cake. Line two 8” cake tins with greaseproof paper and set aside. Mix together all of the dry ingredients and the grated carrots in a large bowl. Crack in the eggs and bind well. Slowly add in the vegetable oil and the cooled toffee sauce and continue mixing until the oil is blended into the mixture. We recommend using an electric cake mixer, but a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow grease should do the trick.
Pour out the mixture evenly across the two lined 8” cake tins. Place both tins on the middle shelf of your oven. Bake for 45 minutes at 160°C. After 45 minutes, remove from the oven and test with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean your cakes are ready, if not pop back in the oven for a further five minutes and test again. Once the cakes are baked through, remove from the oven and leave in the tin to rest. Whilst the cakes are cooling in their tins, prepare the icing. Place the butter in a large bowl – or the pan of an electric mixer if you have one – and beat in one third of the icing sugar. Slowly add in the vanilla and the rest of the icing sugar. Once this is mixed well add in the water a little at a time, and whisk until creamy white and smooth.
Once the cakes have cooled completely, take a sharp bread knife and carefully slice away the domes which will have formed where the cakes have risen, leaving you with two neat sponge discs (we recommend you eat the excess cake immediately). Using a flat knife smother half of the butter icing in the centre of one cake, and then sandwich the other cake on top. Place the sandwiched cakes on a serving plate, smother the top cake with icing, and then sprinkle on a generous handful of toasted coconut flakes. Top tips Temperatures and measurements can have a big effect on the outcome of your cake. We recommend investing in an oven thermometer as thermostats on ovens are often inaccurate, and using digital scales to weigh your ingredients.