You Will Need:

Carrot Cake - top layer

3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 ml) canola or sunflower oil
440 g tin pineapple pulp
¼ cup (60 ml) juice drained from pineapple pulp
¼ cup (60 ml) smooth apricot jam
1 x 600 g Ina Paarman’s Vanilla Cake Mix
2 t (10 ml) ground cinnamon
2 cups (500 ml) carrots, peeled and grated
½ cup (50 g) pecan nuts, chopped

Cupcakes - middle and bottom layers

Makes about 85 small cup cakes
8 extra large eggs at room temperature, separated
1½ cups (375 ml) canola oil
3 cups (750 ml) milk, lukewarm
2 x 600 g Ina Paarman’s Vanilla Cake Mix
85 silver cookie cups. Base measurement = 4,5 cm x Height = 2,5 cm

Method:

Carrot Cake - top layer

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 180 °C. Butter and line the base of a 20 cm x 7 cm cake tin. Beat the eggs and oil very thoroughly with an electric or hand beater.

Squeeze the pineapple pulp as dry as possible between two dinner plates (put the one on top of the other with the pulp in the middle and tilt the plates over a bowl while applying pressure). Measure a quarter of a cup of the juice and beat it into the egg/oil mixture. Add apricot jam and beat in.

Add dry Cake Mix and cinnamon and fold in with a spatula until evenly blended. Add grated carrot, well-drained pineapple pulp, and nuts and fold in. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.

Leave to cool down completely before icing.

Variation:

Use 1 cup grated, cooked and peeled beetroot in place of carrot.

Watchpoint

It is important to squeeze the pineapple quite dry otherwise the moisture balance of the cake will cause the texture to be more dense, but still delicious!

Cupcakes - middle and bottom layers

We have modified the Vanilla Cake recipe a little to make these special cupcakes richer and fluffier. Beg borrow or steal some muffin pans. The cupcakes keep their shape a lot better if the foil cups are supported in the hollows of a muffin pan.

Adjust the oven shelf to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line muffin pans with cookie cups. Separate the eggs, place the whites into a spotlessly clean medium/large mixing bowl. Put the yolks into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil to the yolks and beat on high speed until very well blended. Add the milk while you continue to beat on high speed. Add both packs of Vanilla Cake Mix at once and using a spatula stir gently until the ingredients are blended but still slightly lumpy.

Wash the beaters in warm soapy water and rinse them with boiling water from the kettle to remove every trace of oil. Dry them well with a clean drying-up cloth. Using these spotless beaters, beat the egg whites until firm - soft peaks will form when you lift the beaters.

Fold the whites into the cake mixture in two lots. The first half must not be completely mixed in before you add the final half of the whites. Now you can stir gently until the colour is uniform.

Using two tablespoons, fill each cookie cup ¾ full. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. NB Leave to cool down completely before icing.

Spread the tops of the cupcakes with icing.
Pipe a small rosette in the middle of each one.
And then pipe around the rosettes and up and over to form a rounded pyramid on each cupcake.

Sprinkle a few pearls over each one. Store in an airtight container. You can bake and ice the day before or the iced cakes will freeze well for a week or two. But they must be defrosted while covered to stop the icing from going damp.

Variation for any other special occasion - like a birthday or Valentine's Day. Use Chocolate Cake Mix, Chocolate Icing and red or cerise roses.

Wedding Cake Extravaganza