cheap family recipes
feed a family of 4 for less than £200 a month
Carrot Cake
A soft, light and utterly gorgeous cake. Really good in packed lunches, great for after school and can be varied in many different ways
You can make a half quantity of the carrot cake in an 8″ square tin, cuts into 16 squares or any other size you fancy, and it freezes well.
If you are following our monthly meal planner you will make this 4 times in the month.
What do I need to make carrot cake
For each time of making in the month, you will need
- 4 eggs
- 1 orange
- 320 g carrots, grated
- 200 g raisins
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 350 g self raising flour
- 200 g sugar
How do I make carrot cake
- Zest and juice the orange.
- Warm the orange juice in a saucepan and add the raisins to soak in it to plump up. Allow to cool.
- Keep the orange carcasses to use in making marmalade once you have made all the carrot cakes for the month
- Warm oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 / 350F
- Blitz all other ingredients together in food processor or mix together in large bowl with a wooden spoon.
- Pour into 2 cake tins, papered or greased. Or use silicone ones if you have them.
- Bake for 45 mins or until dark golden brown and springy in the centre to your touch.
- Cut into 32 squares, 16 for each cake
What changes can I make
- The flour can be plain with baking powder – mix 1 tsp of baking powder to each 100g of flour
- Or try wholemeal flour, again, you will need baking powder for this option
- Swap out the carrots for other veg.
- Try courgettes and lemon zest
- swede
- parsnip and maple syrup
- peas and lemon
- or even beetroot and walnut
- Use any other dried fruit you may have, or a mixture
- apricot and walnut
- dried apple and lemon
- prunes and ginger
- cranberry and white chocolate chunks
- Use mixed spice instead of garam masala
- Leave out the carrots and add the same weight of chocolate pieces, and perhaps a few salted peanuts
- Use melted butter or margarine in place of the oil
- Use Muscovado sugar for a nutty flavour
- Add 200g of chopped nuts, any kind
Other cakes you might like
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 orange
- 320 g carrots grated
- 200 g raisins
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 350 g self raising flour
- 200 g sugar
Instructions
- Zest and juice the orange. Warm the orange juice in a saucepan and add the raisins to soak in it to plump up. Allow to cool.
- keep the orange carcasses to use in making marmalade once you have made all the carrot cakes for the month
- Warm oven to gas mark 4.
- Blitz all other ingredients together in food processor or mix together in large bowl with a wooden spoon.
- Pour into 2 cake tins, papered or greased. Or use silicone ones if you have them.
- Bake for 45 mins or until dark golden brown and springy in the centre to your touch.
- Click here to start a 45 minute timer
- Cut into 32 squares.
Equipment Needed
Notes
What changes can I make
- The flour can be plain with baking powder - mix 1 tsp of baking powder to each 100g of flour
- Or try wholemeal flour, again, you will need baking powder for this option
- Swap out the carrots for other veg.
- Try courgettes and lemon zest
- swede
- parsnip and maple syrup
- peas and lemon
- or even beetroot and walnut
- Use any other dried fruit you may have, or a mixture
- apricot and walnut
- dried apple and lemon
- prunes and ginger
- cranberry and white chocolate chunks
- Use mixed spice instead of garam masala
- Leave out the carrots and add the same weight of chocolate pieces, and perhaps a few salted peanuts
- Use melted butter or margarine in place of the oil
- Use Muscovado sugar for a nutty flavour
- Add 200g of chopped nuts, any kind
Nutrition
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Take care of your family and your budget
Before putting together our meal planners we surveyed over 600 people to ask when faced with a tighter budget, which things they would struggle to give up.
I love this excellent recipe. I used muffin cases instead of trays, and this qty made 20. Adult kids enjoyed as did we 😊
Row – so glad you liked it! Good idea re muffin cases, I’ll have to try that!