Lunch Lady vs Green’s Classic Carrot Cake
Two old school classics back to back! I almost sound like a classic hits radio station.
Pep and I were walking around the supermarket yesterday morning and we spotted the carrot cake packet mix, Pep loves MY carrot cake (actually I use Tessa Kiros’s carrot cake recipe, as no matter how I try, her recipe CAN NOT be beat) and asked if I would make it for her during my Sunday bake session.
This one is quite a special challenge for me, as it is probably my most favourite cake on the planet. I am a sucker for cakes with fruit and veg, I love the sweetness and (for want of a better word, I KNOW it is a no go word for many) moistness they give.
I baked the two cakes yesterday, and have had to place myself at the furthest point in the house away from where my carrot cake now stands. If I get in to close proximity, my, usually quite strong willpower, crumbles and I am hoeing down that cake like there’s no tomorrow.
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
Carrot Cake
Time it Takes
I screen shot the stopwatch this time, so we could REALLY see how long it took me.
What You Need
From Scratch Cake
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 250g caster sugar
- 185ml sunflower oil
- 300g plain flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 400g carrots, peeled and grated
- 55g chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 180g butter, softened
- 250g icing sugar
- 180g cream cheese
- 3 drops vanilla extract
- Walnut halves to decorate (optional)
Green’s Classic Carrot Cake
- Sugar
- Wheat flour
- Wholemeal wheat flour
- Whey powder (from milk)
- Dried carrot (2%)
- Walnuts (2%)
- Raising agents (450, sodium bicarbonate)
- Tapioca starch
- Colour (caramel (150d))
- Maltodextrin (from maize)
- Natural flavour
- Vegetable gum (xanthan)
- Spices
- Butter
- Vegetable Oil
- Milk
- Egg
Look… real carrots!
From Scratch Cake
- Preheat oven to 180˚C.
- Grease and flour (or line with baking paper, which is what I do) a 24 cm springform tin pan.
- Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy, then whisk in the oil.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon (or use a whisk, to put some air in it, this is what I do sometimes because sometimes I am a little lazy).
- Add this to the eggs and whisk.
- Add the carrots and nuts and mix together. Scrape into tin and bake for an hour.
- Once the cake has cooled; For the icing whip the butter and icing sugar together until its stiff. Beat in the cream cheese and vanilla. Spread over the cake. And decorate with walnut halves
Green’s Classic Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C for fan forced). Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.
- Mix all cake mix ingredients together with oil and milk.
- Put in cake tin and bake for 45 minutes.
- Once cake is cool, beat icing mix, butter and milk together and spread on to cake.
I did a blindfolded taste test for this one. As I KNEW that the fakeness of the packet mix would be sprung. The from scratch cake received 4 – 0 thumbs up in a total ass whooping. Sorry Green’s, better luck next time.
Packet on the left, from scratch to the right.
