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Mary Berry’s Sunshine Cake

Mary Berry's simple sunshine cake is a twist on a carrot cake, with added courgette and banana. Dense and close in texture, it is topped with a light cream cheese frosting and banana slices.

From the book

Mary Berry

Introduction

This cake is a joy – banana, courgette and carrot are the hidden gems that children will not realise are there! To give added interest and texture, we like to use banana slices or dried banana for decoration. This is not a deep cake, as it has a closer texture than a plain sponge.

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Ingredients

225g (8oz) self-raising flour
175g (6oz) caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
225ml (8fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
100g (4oz) carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
100g (4oz) overripe banana, mashed
100g (4oz) courgettes, coarsely grated
75g (3oz) chewy dried banana slices, broken into pieces
For the cream cheese icing:
100g (4oz) butter, softened
100g (4oz) full-fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g (8oz) icing sugar

Essential kit

You will need: two loose-bottomed 20cm (8in) sandwich cake tins and an electric whisk.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease two loose-bottomed 20cm (8in) sandwich cake tins and base line with non-stick baking paper.

Measure the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add the oil, carrot, mashed banana and courgettes to the eggs and stir. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together using an electric whisk until combined.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until well risen and lightly golden.

Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. The cakes will shrink back a little when cooling.

To make the icing, place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and half the icing sugar and whisk again until combined. Add the remaining icing sugar and whisk until light and fluffy.

Spread half the icing over one cake. Sandwich the cakes together, then spread the remaining icing on the top and swirl. Arrange the slices of banana in a spiral pattern.

Cut into slices to serve.

Mary’s tips:

Can be made a day ahead and iced on the day of serving.

Un-iced cakes can be frozen.

Reviews

5 out of 5 stars

1 Ratings

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1 Comment

    default user avatar Lyn Flanders

    Lovely cake….easy to make and always a delight…..looks impressive too!

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