Purple Carrot Cake

A visit to the Farmer’s markets inevitably results in two, sometimes more salads at home. I don’t know about you but I get completely blown away by beautiful, fresh produce. I may go looking for something and come back with a lot more. Most often the ‘more’ will have add-on-s (leaves, stems, branches attached to them) and I will struggle to push them into my refrigerator. I always have the option of discarding the unwanted stuff but I am food blogger…there is nothing called as ‘unwanted’. Of course I need the purple carrots with their tops on for my photos.

 

My favorite farmer’s market is located about 20 kilometers from home. Yet I’d go there every weekend if I can.  Before we left this time, hubby told me ‘I am not having salad tonight!’
‘Well, then let’s move next to the farmer’s market’ I replied convinced that a long trip needs to be justified with a substantial buy.
In the process every time, we end up buying a lot, eating a lot and by evening all that one has room for is a salad and dessert (that’s because I bring them back too…like the gorgeous quince frangipane tart I bought this time:-))

Even though I planned a golden beetroot salad for dinner and I had my stash of tarts and slices, I quickly baked this purple carrot cake as soon as we got back home. This is a healthier carrot cake with wholemeal flour, buttermilk and honey. I have used this recipe earlier from Taste to make healthy carrot muffins.  It is not too sweet and as I suspected ,the kids didn’t seem to enjoy it plain. A little butterscotch sauce on top and it went down quickly with them. We adults enjoyed the cake as it was with cups of coffee. Just so perfect for a winter afternoon. The purple carrots don’t taste any different than their popular counterpart but they do add a lovely hue to the interior. This is different than a beetroot cake where the entire cake takes up the deep reddish-brown colour.
Given a choice, I would prefer this unique speckled look.
The recipe can be totally adapted to use regular carrots and makes a great, healthy lunchbox treat.

Purple Carrot Cake
Serves 6-8

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 cup plain self-raising flour
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
11/2 cups grated purple carrot
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (170 degrees C for fan-force) Grease and line the base of a 19 cm round cake pan with baking paper.

Sift flours and spice into a bowl. Stir in sugar and carrot. Whisk honey, eggs, buttermilk and oil together in a jug. Add honey mixture to flour. Mix gently until just combined (do not over-mix).

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.