Mini Carrot Sandwich Cakes

MAKES 12

A dozen double-decker bakes, topped with a crop of (sugar) carrots and packed with good-for-you (honest) carrots and raisins. Just the thing for handing round an Easter table – everyone’s bound to find a little more room for one of these…

Made in our12 Hole Loose-Based Mini Sandwich Tin.

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 175g light soft brown sugar
  • 175g butter
  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 200g carrots, peeled and finely grated
  • 100g raisins
  • Zest of 1 large orange

To decorate

  • 400g tub Renshaw Personalise Me! Plain Frosting
  • Few drops orange extract
  • Carrot sugar pipings

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/Gas 4. Grease the bases and sides of the mini sandwich tin holes with a little melted butter or vegetable oil.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and butter until fully combined and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and spices.
  3. Add a little of the egg to the creamed butter and sugar, followed by a little of the flour mixture, and whisk to combine. Repeat until all the egg mixture and most of the flour mixture has been added, then fold in the remaining flour using a metal spoon.
  4. Add the grated carrot, raisins and zest, and stir through with a spoon until evenly distributed through the mixture.
  5. Divide the mixture between the holes of the tin and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until they feel springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  6. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then push out carefully and cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. To decorate, add a few drops of orange extract to the tub of frosting and stir to combine. Cut each of the cakes in half and cover the top of each half with the frosting. Sandwich them together and add a carrot sugar piping to the top of each to finish.

Tip:You can use buttercream instead of ready-made frosting to decorate: just cream together 150g butter, 300g icing sugar and the orange extract until pale and light.