[RECIPE] Mum’s very 1970s Carrot Cake recipe

This is a very carrotty 70s health food version. It has a loose moist crumb, and uses a lot of oil (sunflower or safflower). Baked in an 8x8” or 9x9” square pan, it rises quite high. Still a family favourite though.

1 cup safflower oil 1 cup white sugar 3 large eggs

1. Beat together, adding sugar into oil, then one egg at a time.

1 1/3 cup flour 1 1/3 tsp baking powder 1 1/3 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2. Sift the dry ingredients and add, in bit by bit to the rest. Beat.

1/2 cup chopped walnuts tossed in 1-2 tablespoons flour 2 cups finely grated carrots

3. Add in the walnuts (if desired) and grated carrots.

4. Beat well.

5). Bake approximately 1 hour at 300 degrees F.

Use cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing recipe

1 cup icing sugar* 1 tablespoon butter 1 tsp vanilla 4 oz cream cheese **

• icing sugar is a powdered white sugar mixed with a small amount of finely ground starch, usually corn starch or potato starch. It’s just a few % by weight so that a teaspoon starch per cup of powdered sugar should do it.

**The cream cheese icing recipe states ‘Philadelphia’ brand, but it’s not what we’ve used since the firm began to add guar and other gums. We use an all natural cream cheese from a local dairy.