Carrot & Ginger Cake w/ Pineapple Flowers

Carrot & Ginger Cake w/ Pineapple Flowers … Although it looks like a lot on paper, it really is simple … once you’re organised.

Start making this at least the day prior – The only element that needs to be made on the day is the Salted Butterscotch Frosting as it needs to be soft to put on the cake.

The cake, flowers and nuts can all be made in the days prior.

Ingredients

Cake – one day prior

300g carrot, grated

200g plain flour

160g caster sugar

160g brown sugar

120g shredded coconut

100g oats, roughly blitzed in a food processor

2.5 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp nutmeg, grated

1/2 tsp ground cloves

200g sour cream

100 olive oil, light tasting

3 eggs

Salted butterscotch frosting – has to be made on the day

30g butter, roughly chopped

30g brown sugar

2 tsp golden syrup

100gm sour cream

450g icing sugar (pure or mixture is suitable)

1.5 tsp salt flakes

Candied Almonds – any time prior when placed in a sealed container

1 c whole almonds

1/4 c water

1/2 c white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

I recommend doubling this recipe and then eating the leftovers (refrigerates very well)

Pineapple Flowers – 1 day prior

1/2 a pineapple (keep full circle, do not cut length ways)

Recommended extras – these will just make life a little easier for the job at hand

Dehydrator – not essential but helpful

Silicon mat/s – these should really be part of your kitchen, indispensable

2 x 22cm springform cake tins

Mini muffin tray

METHOD

Pineapple flowers: 30 mins preparation time | 1 day cooking time | May need to be re-crisped in low oven 30 mins prior to serving – Please put an alarm on!

These are best started the day prior as dehydrating them in a dehydrator will give you more control over the final look.

With a sharp knife remove the rind.

Using a vegetable peeler with an eye remover, remove the eyes of the pineapple.

Cut 2-3mm width slices, you are wanting whole, round discs. Make as many as you think you will want on your cake, plus extras so you can pick and choose your best looking flowers. Pat the discs dry with paper towel.

Depending on how big the holes are on your dehydrator trays (small, not necessary to place a mat in there, large holes and you will want to use something to stop the discs from drying into them) and place the pineapple discs in at 70°C / 160°F.

Dry them for anywhere between 6 hours and overnight.

Remove them from the dehydrator once they are like leather, mailable not brittle.

Place the dehydrated pineapples into mini muffin trays so they spray out like a flower and place into a 100°C / 210°F with the door ajar. Cook for about 1 hour but keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. I like them to have a bit of colour in the outer edges.

They are ready when they can hold their shape and once cooled are a little crispy.

They will soften as the day progresses but just place them back in the oven if you want to.

Candied Almonds: 5 mins preparation time | 15 mins cooking time | 15 mins cooling time

Place all the ingredients, except the nuts, into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Add the nuts and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir to coat the nuts.

Stirring often, simmer the nuts till the liquid turns to a thick syrup.

Turn out the nut mixture on to a silicon mat or baking paper and separate the nuts from each other.

Once cooled, breakup the nuts into smaller shards and then place in a tea towel. This is the fun bit, happily smash it to your desired size with a rolling pin, mallet or similar.

Place in a sealed container till required… and get them out of your reach, otherwise you will be making another lot because you ate them all!

Cake: 20 mins preparation time | 45 mins cooking time | 1hour cooling time

Pre heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F

Grease two 22cm spring from cake tins and then line with baking paper.

Blitz the oats in a food processor till coarsely ground.

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, carrot, both sugars, coconut, baking powder, all the spices and the orange and lemon rinds and give a good stir to combine.

In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, oil and eggs till well combined and then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir till just combined and then pour equal amounts of batter into the cake tins.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, swapping the tins around in the oven at about the 20 minute mark.

Once cooked, leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack.

Salted Butterscotch Frosting:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.

Add the brown sugar and golden syrup and stir till incorporated. Bring to a simmer and stir for 2 minutes till slightly thickened.

Add the sour cream and stir till combined then remove from the heat.

Add the icing sugar and stir till smooth. Stir in the salt flakes and then leave to cool to a spreadable consistency.

Construction:

Place one cake on a plate and then cover with half of the icing.

Top with the second cake and spread the remaining icing over the top.

Carefully sprinkle and push in to the icing the smashed candied almonds around the edge. I found that if you hold the container containing your nuts right up against the cake, any nuts that don’t adhere to the icing will fall into the container, leaving no mess to cleanup.

Place the pineapple flowers in the centre of the cake.

Voila! your very own masterpiece.

Carrot & Ginger Cake w/ Pineapple Flowers

 

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Author: FinSki's

Serves: 1

Ingredients

Cake – one day prior

• 300g carrot, grated
• 200g plain flour
• 160g caster sugar
• 160g brown sugar
• 120g shredded coconut
• 100g oats, roughly blitzed in a food processor
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg, grated
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 200g sour cream
• 100 olive oil, light tasting
• 3 eggs

Salted butterscotch frosting – has to be made on the day

• 30g butter, roughly chopped
• 30g brown sugar
• 2 tsp golden syrup
• 100gm sour cream
• 450g icing sugar (pure or mixture is suitable)
• 1.5 tsp salt flakes

Candied Almonds – any time prior when placed in a sealed container

• 1 c whole almonds
• ¼ c water
• ½ c white sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• I recommend doubling this recipe and then eating the leftovers (refrigerates very well)

Pineapple Flowers – 1 day prior

• ½ a pineapple (keep full circle. Do not cut length ways)

Recommended extras – these will just make life a little easier for the job at hand

• Dehydrator – not essential but helpful
• Silicon mat/s – these should really be part of your kitchen, indispensable
• 2 x 22cm springform cake tins
• Mini muffin tray

Method

Pineapple flowers: 30 mins preparation time | 1 day cooking time | May need to be re-crisped in low oven 30 mins prior to serving – Please put an alarm on!

1. These are best started the day prior as dehydrating them in a dehydrator will give you more control over the final look.
2. With a sharp knife remove the rind.
3. Using a vegetable peeler with an eye remover, remove the eyes of the pineapple.
4. Cut 2-3mm width slices, you are wanting whole, round discs. Make as many as you think you will want on your cake, plus extras so you can pick and choose your best looking flowers. Pat the discs dry with paper towel.
5. Depending on how big the holes are on your dehydrator trays (small, not necessary to place a mat in there, large holes and you will want to use something to stop the discs from drying into them) and place the pineapple discs in at 70°C / 160°F.
6. Dry them for anywhere between 6 hours and overnight.
7. Remove them from the dehydrator once they are like leather, mailable not brittle.
8. Place the dehydrated pineapples into mini muffin trays so they spray out like a flower and place into a 100°C / 210°F with the door ajar. Cook for about 1 hour but keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. I like them to have a bit of colour in the outer edges.
9. They are ready when they can hold their shape and once cooled are a little crispy.
10. They will soften as the day progresses but just place them back in the oven if you want to.

Candied Almonds: 5 mins preparation time | 15 mins cooking time | 15 mins cooling time

1. Place all the ingredients, except the nuts, into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add the nuts and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir to coat the nuts.
3. Stirring often, simmer the nuts till the liquid turns to a thick syrup.
4. Turn out the nut mixture on to a silicon mat or baking paper and separate the nuts from each other.
5. Once cooled, breakup the nuts into smaller shards and then place in a tea towel. This is the fun bit, happily smash it to your desired size with a rolling pin, mallet or similar.
6. Place in a sealed container till required… and get them out of your reach, otherwise you will be making another lot because you ate them all!

Cake: 20 mins preparation time | 45 mins cooking time | 1hour cooling time

1. Pre heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F
2. Grease two 22cm spring from cake tins and then line with baking paper.
3. Blitz the oats in a food processor till coarsely ground.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, carrot, both sugars, coconut, baking powder, all the spices and the orange and lemon rinds and give a good stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream, oil and eggs till well combined and then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir till just combined and then pour equal amounts of batter into the cake tins.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, swapping the tins around in the oven at about the 20 minute mark.
7. Once cooked, leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack.

Salted Butterscotch Frosting:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
2. Add the brown sugar and golden syrup and stir till incorporated. Bring to a simmer and stir for 2 minutes till slightly thickened.
3. Add the sour cream and stir till combined then remove from the heat.
4. Add the icing sugar and stir till smooth. Stir in the salt flakes and then leave to cool to a spreadable consistency.

Construction:

1. Place one cake on a plate and then cover with half of the icing.
2. Top with the second cake and spread the remaining icing over the top.
3. Carefully sprinkle and push in to the icing the smashed candied almonds around the edge. I found that if you hold the container containing your nuts right up against the cake, any nuts that don’t adhere to the icing will fall into the container, leaving no mess to cleanup.
4. Place the pineapple flowers in the centre of the cake.
5. Voila! your very own masterpiece.

Notes

Although it looks like a lot on paper, it really is simple ... once you're organised.

Start making this at least the day prior - The only element that needs to be made on the day is the Salted Butterscotch Frosting as it needs to be soft to put on the cake.

The cake, flowers and nuts can all be made in the days prior.

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