This apple, carrot and blueberry cake is an adaptation on one of my favourite cakes which is my now classic apple and blueberry muffin cake. That cake is so successful because of its simplicity but I wanted to take it to a more autumnal level so have added a more nutty and carroty vibe. It’s also packed with spices such as ginger and cinnamon so I think it could easily double as an alternative Christmas cake.
It also owes its success by being one of those cakes that’s not too fussy about being the best looking cake in the world. Just bung it all in, smother it in icing and stuff your face!
I’m using these brilliant 21cm cake-liners I purchased from amazon. They’re so easy to use and pretty much hassle-free if you’re feeling super lazy. A word of warning though – make sure you place them onto a baking tray before they go into the oven as it will make them a billion times easier to remove once cooked.
Recipe
- 225g butter – soft
- 225g caster sugar
- 125g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 50g wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla paste such as the brilliant Little Pod Vanilla
- 3 large free-range eggs – lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons yoghurt
- 80g blueberries
- 50g finely grated carrot
- 1 eating apple – peeled, cored and finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
for the icing
- roughly 200g icing sugar
- the juice of 1 orange plus a little water to mix
I’m using my smeg stand mixer with a beater paddle but a hand-held mixer would work or even a wooden spoon if you’ve got the strength and courage!
Combine the flours and ground almonds and stir through the baking powder – set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar for a good 5 mins until they’re pale and fluffy, then add half the combined flours and half the beaten eggs and beat in for 1 minutes, then add the rest of the flours and eggs along with the coconut, vanilla and yoghurt and beat for another minute until it’s all combined.
Fold through the spices, apples, carrots and blueberries until well combined.
Spoon the batter into the cake case or tin and bake on 170C (fan) for 35-45 mins or until the cake is golden and springy to touch. Set aside onto a wire rack until completely cool.
Stir the orange juice into the icing until you have a thick icing, (you may need a little more or less icing sugar depending on how juicy your orange is – you want it to be a thick runny consistency that drops into thick ribbons.) Then pour it onto the cake. Top with blueberries.
For more cake recipes check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.
Eat and of course, enjoy!
