Carrot Cake Bundt

   This is another of my family recipes, this time for my Mum. Her favourite cake in bundt form with an orange drizzle. I took this over as my contribution to our family Sunday dinner and unsurprisingly none returned home with me!


   I still worry each time I make a bundt that it just won't want to come out of the tin. And with the last few times being disasters, I was certain to grease the tin thoroughly. This guy slipped out in perfect form, so much so I didn't want to cover it in the usual thick frosting typical to regular carrot cakes. Instead I opted for a lighter finish with the orange drizzle making for a fresher taste to end a big Sunday dinner.

Carrot cake bundt
(Recipe adapted from Epicurious)
     1 1/4 cup plain flour
     4tsp ground cinnamon
     1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
     1/4 tsp salt
     1 1/4 cup caster sugar
     3/4 cup sunflower oil
     3 large eggs
     1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large)
     3/4 cup chopped pecans

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a bundt tin.
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium bowl until well blended. Using electric mixer, stand or handheld, beat the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl on a medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Fold in the carrots and walnuts.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bundt tin. Bake for 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 1 hour before inverting onto a plate.
• Drizzle with orange icing made with around 200g icing sugar and enough orange juice to form a runny consistency. Top with orange zest.

   If I find recipes with American cup measurements I tend not to convert to metric. There are a number of good conversion guides online, they just seem a little too fussy to me with the different conversions for different flours and sugars. If anyone else knows otherwise then I'd love to know!

   Also, since reading Joy the Baker's excellent 'Baking 101' series I've learnt that sifting regular flour isn't necessary. Giving a quick mix with a whisk helps aerate your flour just as well as a sieve. Much easier, quicker and less messy, or so I find. For more info, see Joy's 'Must we sift this flour?'