it means carrot cake!

I’ve been sharing some posts from a couple of years ago about afternoon tea, and there was one occasion when  I made a delicious cake by one of my favourite on-line cooks. The recipe caught my eye not only because the picture looked so enticing, but it sounded interesting, olive oil, squash, pistachios? Sounds good to me. So I made it – I’ve had trouble with cakes using oil before, but not this one!! So delicious!! Don’t just take my word for it, here’s a link to the recipe, go ahead, make it! The recipe works and it’s so good:

http://www.thepersianfusion.com/spiced-squash-cake-with-pistachios-a-healthier-option/

It’s  Wednesday today, named after Woden the Norse god; it’s not a great day to be born, Wednesday’s child is full of woe… and the Irish and Scottish name for the day refers to fasting so not a cake day then. I struggled to find a cake associated with Wednesday or with Woden, but a further link is the planet Mercury – so… according to Vedic astrology mung beans are the thing for Wednesday… but no, not for cakes! However, on another site I find that Mercury in astrological medicine from the sixteenth century, is associated with carrots and nuts!! What does this mean? It means carrot cake! My favourite!!

Here is a version with pineapple as well, and desiccated coconut. it is so moist and delicious!

Carrot, pineapple and coconut cake

• 9 oz plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 7 oz brown sugar
• 5½ fl oz oil (following my recent success with Maryam’s cake I now use olive oil)
• 2 medium carrots finely grated, or processed (but not to a mush – the bits have to be carroty still)
• 8½ oz crushed pineapple, undrained
• 2 oz desiccated coconut
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (as I don’t like cinnamon I would use mixed spice or allspice)
• cream cheese frosting (3 oz cream cheese, 2 oz butter, 11 oz icing sugar – I like a lemon flavour but you can add vanilla if you prefer)
• nuts of your choice to decorate I like walnuts, pecan or pistachio but have what you like

1. prepare a 9×9 cake tin (greased and lined)
2. mix dry ingredients
3. add all the other ingredients and mix well, really well
4. bake at 350° F, 180° C, gas mark 4 for about 35 mins (this is what the recipe says, in my oven it takes  another 15-20 mins) check and take out if done, or leave in for a few more minutes
5. when cool, decorate with the frosting and nuts