We’re celebrating Carrot Cake Day this month at Athena! Lots of our residents can still remember when they were evacuated during the Second World War. For lots of people that meant they spent time in our rural communities and, with many of our favourite foods needing to be rationed, it was difficult to find the ingredients needed for cakes and sweet treats using a ration book.
Needless to say that when things as important as cake are involved, people became resourceful! Adapting recipes to make the most of their homegrown produce. For baking in particular, one of the biggest challenges was sourcing enough sugar. Sugar was rationed to 8oz (230g) per week (the average Brit now has 700g of sugar a week according to the NHS!). However, people soon realised that carrots could be used to naturally sweeten cakes and biscuits. The sweetness of the carrots replaced some of the sugar needed in the original recipes.
This week a lot of our residents will be making their own carrot cakes at our homes, but if you fancy having a go yourself, here’s what you’ll need!
You will need:
+ Mixing bowl
+ Wooden spoon
+ Lined baking tin
+ Cooling rack
+ 230g self-rising flour
+ 85g margarine or cooking fat
+ 85g sugar
+ 115g finely grated carrot
+ 55g sultanas
+ A little milk or water
+ 1 reconstituted dried egg or 1 fresh egg
What you do:
+ Preheat oven to 220˚C / 200˚C (fan) / gas mark 7.
+ Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
+ Rub in the margarine or cooking fat.
+ Add sugar, carrot, sultanas and egg. Mix well and then add sufficient milk or water to make sticky.
+ Pour mixture into a lined baking tin and cook in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes or until golden in colour.
+ Top with ready-made cream cheese frosting or enjoy it as a natural tea cake.
