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Ingredients (Baking cup quantity measures)

Grated carrots – 2 cups
Light brown sugar – 3/4 – 1 cup (depending on how sweet you like the cake) (I used 3/4 cup)
Unsalted butter – 125 gms (For healthier options, use canola or corn oil)
All purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups
Pistachios – 3/4 cup
Raisins – 1/3 cup
Milk – 1/4 cup (I used full cream milk not skimmed milk)
Salt – 2 pinches
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar – 2 tbsps
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
Cinnamon powder – 1/4 tsp
Grated nutmeg – 1/8 tsp (optional)

1. Coarsely grind the pistachios.  Just a couple of whizzes in the food processor.  If you have the patience, you could chop the pistachios.

2. Take a deep dish just so it makes mixing easier.  Add the grated carrots, salt, sugar and the pistachios and give the whole thing a good mix.  Set aside for about 10 minutes for the carrots to release moisture.

3. Then add the raisins, all purpose flour and give it a good mix so that the raisins get coated in flour.  This prevents the raisins from sinking to the bottom once the cake batter is in the oven.

4. Add the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder and grated nutmeg.

5. Melt the butter and pour the melted butter into the mix. Gently fold the batter with a spatula.  It does not need an electric mixer or a whisk.

6. Once all the ingredients are mixed, add the milk and vanilla extract.  Fold the mixture with a spatula until just mixed.  The batter will be lumpy.

7. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

8. Finally, add 2 tbsps of vinegar and gently mix.  The batter will foam a bit because the vinegar reacts with the baking soda.

9. Line a baking pan with foil and coat with butter.  You could reserve a bit of the melted butter to coat the pan.  I usually use foil and leave a bit of overhang because it makes it so much easier to take the cake out of the pan, once done.

10. Move the rack in the oven lower else the top of the cake will get done while the insides would not have cooked enough.  Since this is a dense batter, it takes longer to cook.

10. Pour the batter into the greased, foil lined tin (I used a 8″ x 7″ baking tray).  Bake at 175 degrees C for about 35-40 mins.

11. Don’t leave the cake in the oven once the timer goes off.  Let cool outside before taking the cake out of the pan.

12. The vinegar gives this usually dense cake a fluffiness and airiness.  It is a delicate cake because there is so much for the all purpose flour to hold together.

Variations

1. The spices – I used cinnamon.  You could use cinnamon and nutmeg or cinnamon and ginger powder, depending on your taste.

2. I’ve used pistachios in this recipe.  These can easily be substituted with walnuts / pecans / cashews / slivered almonds.

3. Raisins can be substituted with cranberries if you want a slight tinge of sourness to the cake.

4. If not using spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, you could use the zest of lemon or orange to give it a lovely citrus flavour.

Gauri dons many hats. Of  a wife, a mom, a teacher and more.  Apart from working as a full time English teacher  in Hong Kong, she also raises and nurtures two children.  Her family means the world to her and life is a happy roller coaster ride. She blogs at http://tiny-tidbits.blogspot.hk/.  Originally intended as a means to preserve memories for posterity, Tiny Tidbits now plays host to a wide range of issues, thoughts, musings, raves and rants.