Kūmara and Carrot Cake
Photography by Josh Griggs.
I love the earthy notes the kūmara brings to this twist on a classic carrot cake – absolutely perfect with a good strong cuppa or an afternoon coffee.
INGREDIENTS
Cake
2½ cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder
1 teaspoon each ground mixed spice, ground cinnamon and ground ginger
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ packed cup grated carrot
½ packed cup grated orange kūmara
1¼ cups rice bran or other neutral vegetable oil
4 large eggs, size 7
finely grated zest 1 orange
227-gram tin crushed pineapple, well-drained in a sieve
½ cup sultanas
½ cup sunflower seeds
Icing
250 grams cream cheese,
at room temperature
25 grams butter, at room temperature
finely grated zest 1 orange
3 cups icing sugar
METHOD
Equipment: Grease a 26cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 160°C regular bake.
Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and stir to combine. Put the carrot, kūmara, eggs, oil and zest in a food processor and pulse quickly to combine. Fold into the dry ingredients, along with the pineapple, sultanas, and sunflower seeds.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn the oven off but leave the cake in for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and ice once cooled.
Icing: Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. (It makes a lot, so freeze any leftovers.)
Makes 1 cake

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