Passion Cake

So here is my first cake of 2012! A simple affair after the excesses of Christmas, it's a passion cake from the aforementioned McDougall's Bakers Guide...my last recipe book for a year!! This is a nice moist cake with an extremely tasty cream cheese frosting... it would be a good one to serve with a cup of tea when you have friends round. The passion cake would be good if you're planning a frugal January but still want something that tastes ever so slightly decadent! :-)

• 275g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 150g soft light brown sugar
• 100g carrots, grated
• 50g walnuts, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100ml sunflower oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 432g can crushed pineapple, drained

Cream cheese frosting

• 75g butter
• 75g soft cream cheese
• 175g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Heat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4 and then grease and line a 20cm cake tin. Mix the sifted flour, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl before adding the sugar, walnuts and carrot. Mix together again and make a well in the middle, to which the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and pineapple should be added. Beat together with a spoon before pouring in to the prepared tin. Level off the top and bake for 1 1/4 hour. Cool in the tin.

When cool swirl the frosting on the top. This can be made by mixing the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence with an electric mixer. It is helpful to chill the cake for at least 30minutes before serving.