Carrot Cake Recipe

With Valentine’s Day approaching, women of Britain take note: when it comes to a man’s idea of what makes the best romantic dessert, the great North / South divide is alive and well. While chocolate cake scored highest overall, when regionality came into it, Southern men opted to get fruity with strawberries. However, while chocolate cake may get the thumbs up for being the dessert most conducive to romance, it is carrot cake which was voted, unanimously, to be the nation’s top choice. These are just some of the findings in a survey* recently conducted by Fruisana Fruit Sugar in conjunction with leading cookery website deliaonline.com

You may not be surprised to learn that when we need cheering up, the first thing we all turn to is chocolate, but as far as men are concerned, wine comes a very close second!

When asked to divulge their special ingredient, the food most commonly cited was real butter.

“We weren’t surprised to find that real butter is considered paramount,” says Jo Hill, editor of deliaonline.com. “We know the people who visit our site are keen cooks who prefer to use classic, tried-and-tested ingredients, especially when baking, where it’s easy to go wrong. “

Here is a recipe for a delicious Carrot Cake, using Fruisana:

CARROT CAKE
Ingredients:
Makes: 8 slices

For the Cake:
225g (8 oz) butter (at room temperature)
150g (6oz) Fruisana Fruit Sugar
4 eggs, separated
Finely grated rind of 1/2 orange
15ml (1tbsp) lemon juice
100g (4oz) self raising flour
100g (4oz) wholemeal flour
5ml (1tsp) baking powder
25g (1oz) ground almonds
100g (4oz) chopped walnuts
60ml (4tbsp) milk
150g (6oz) young carrots, peeled and thinly grated

For the Topping:
225g (8oz) crème fraîche
5ml (1tsp) Lemon juice
15ml (1tbsp) Fruisana Fruit Sugar
Chopped walnuts to decorate

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line a deep 20.5cm/8in round cake tin.
2. Cream the butter and Fruisana together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks then stir in the lemon rind and juice.
3. Sift the flours and baking powder, then stir in the ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Add the milk and stir again, ensuring all the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold into the cake mixture with the grated carrots. Pour into the prepared tin and hollow the centre slightly.
5. Bake for approx.1 hour, until the cake is golden brown and firm to touch. Leave to cool slightly, then turn out onto a wired rack and remove
the lining paper.
6. To make the topping, take the crème fraîche and add it to the lemon juice and Fruisana, mix well and then spread over the cooled cake. Decorate with the remaining chopped walnuts.

*Survey conducted online Autumn 2008 through deliaonline.com among some 2000 respondents