Carrot Cake with coconut!

I've continued with the baking theme this week after watching the BBC's "Great British Bake Off" and now I have great respect for those guys. Especially the presentation, "man, that's hard to get these things to look good in photos!"

Last week I seemed to start a bit of a war about the recipe for Milk Tart! Please guys, I've never claimed that anything I'm cooking is the best, the most original, most authentic or anything of the kind. I'm just cooking different things that I like and hopefully some of you will want to try some of the recipes and delights that I braai each week. Please feel free to offer any suggestions, help or even send me your recipes to try. I would love to give them a go and let my followers try them too. Don't be shy, email me any thing you would like me to try to sales@biltong.co.uk or leave them in the comments section below. Next week we are launching our "App" that you will be able to take photos and post them directly to us at a touch of a button as well as follow this blog, get special offers, free goodies and many other things. I will post up links next week so that you can download it straight to your phones.

This week the recipe is one that my wife has been perfecting to "MY TASTE" I think its great, so let me know what you think if you try it.

Serves 8 - Prep: 150 mins - Cook Time: 35-40 mins

Ingredients - Cake mixture

250g carrots, peeled and grated
175g dark soft brown sugar
2 x large eggs
150ml olive oil (not virgin olive oil)
200g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 x tbsp ground mixed spice
1 x tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 x Zest of lemon
50g desiccated coconut

Method - Cake mixture

Pre-heat the Braai or oven to 190°C (375°F)

Lightly grease a baking tin/silicone and line with grease proof paper if not using a silicone mould.
Whisk the sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl with an electric whisk for 3-4 minutes until smooth.
Sift in the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda, make sure to tip the remaining bits into the mixture as you are using wholemeal flour.
Stir together gently and then add the grated carrot, coconut and lemon peel. Fold in gently.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 mins.
Its should rise nicely, to make sure that it is cooked do the knife test. Poke a knife into the centre of the cake carefully and with draw, if the blade is clean then its cooked. If not place it back to cook for another 5 mins.

Method - Topping mixture

Just mix the icing sugar into the Mascarpone and add in the lemon juice, tasting as you go.
mix until smooth.
Once the cake has cooled, smooth over the top

Ingredients- Topping mixture

300g Mascarpone
2 x tbsp icing sugar or to taste
1 x juice of a lemon

If you are cooking this on the braai, make sure that you have something directly under the cake tin so that the heat is not directly below. Otherwise you will definitely end up burning the bottom of your cake and you don't want that. If you have any other recipes or suggestions please send them in, I would love to give them a go.

Sorg tot volgende week, wanneer ons terug na die braai vir 'n "hoender fest!" (Take care until next week, when we will be back to the braai for a "chicken fest!")