Sticky Ginger Carrot Cake

This week we've had a birthday in the cupboard- find household, so obviously there had to be another cake on the menu. I decided to go slightly experimental with this bake and hoped to create a hybrid of two of my favourite cakes; carrot and sticky ginger. To be honest, I wasn't sure how this cake would turn out but I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. I leaned in fully to the season and used a combination of brown sugar, treacle, caramel and plenty of spice; producing a cake that sits perfectly alongside the pumpkin spice and bonfire toffee flavours that are popular right now. 

This recipe is a little more complicated than my usual fodder, however if you wanted to keep it simple, you could just sandwich the sponges together with cream cheese frosting or buttercream and get stuck in. 

For the Sponges

3 eggs

350ml sunflower oil

400g light brown sugar

2 tbsp treacle

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp stem ginger syrup

500g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

60g pecans, roughly chopped

450g carrots, grated

1 tbsp stem ginger, finely chopped

60ml whole milk

For the cream cheese frosting

400g full fat cream cheese

175g icing sugar

175g salted butter

1 tsp stem ginger syrup

For the creme fraiche caramel

200g granulated sugar

125ml cold water

75g salted butter

100g creme fraiche

A few flakes of sea salt

For the ginger pecan crumb

3 gingernut biscuits

30g pecan nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius the weigh out all of you ingredients and line three 8 inch tins with parchment paper. 

2. Whisk together the eggs, oil and sugar for a couple of minutes until fully combined. 

3. Add the stem ginger syrup, treacle and vanilla essence then fold through the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and spices. 

4. Mix in the grated carrot, chopped stem ginger and pecan nuts and stir gently. 

5. Lastly add the milk and mix until incorporated. 

6. Divide the mix between the three lined tins. (Excuse the random assortment of tins, I really need to invest in matching equipment). 

7. Cook the sponges in the top half of the oven for 35-40 minutes. 

8. While the sponges are baking you can make the frosting and the caramel (if you're going all in on the decoration). For the frosting; beat the softened butter and icing sugar together (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. Then slowly start to incorporate the cream cheese a spoon full at a time. Finally add the stem ginger syrup and mix until smooth. 

NB. I'll be honest, I don't have any photographs of the making process of the frosting or the caramel as I may well have forgotten.....sorry!!! 

9. For the Caramel; mix the granulated sugar and water together in heavy bottomed pan. Put onto the job over a medium heat. At this stage DO NOT STIR, however tempting it may be. You can however give the pan the occasional swirl. The sugar mix will begin to bubble as the water evaporates. Leave the pan on the heat until the sugar had turned a deep amber colour. (Approximately 8 to 10 minutes.) 

While you're waiting, cut the butter into cubes. Once the sugar has reached the correct colour

Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, mix in quickly as the mixture will bubble up. Then add the creme fraiche and mix that in too. Finally stir in a few flakes of sea salt. Leave the caramel to cool slightly. 

NB. I'll be honest again and say that I think I took my sugar off the heat too soon. It wasn't as dark as I would have liked, however it still tasted delicious and set well. 

10. Make the crumb by putting the biscuits and the pecans in a food processor and blitz for a few seconds. If you don't have a food processor, you can pop the biscuits and pecans in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin. 

11. Once the cakes are cooked, (a skewer should come out clean from the middle of the cake) leave in the tins to cool completely. 

12. Once cool, layer up the sponges with the cream cheese frosting. 

13. Cover the cakes in the remaining frosting, pour the caramel over the top, and sprinkle the crumb on top of the caramel. (The rosettes and white chocolate chunks are optional but helped create a final birthday flourish).