Egg free Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is right up there as a favorite cake of mine, it is also my dad's favorite.
I had some "mummy friends" (that what Dylan calls them) over yesterday so I made this, yum!

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar (I used white)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated carrots (2 medium)
1/3 cup sultanas
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil (a light flavor such as canola/sunflower)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix dry ingredients. Add carrots and sultanas and mix in. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour into lined cake tin and bake at 180 for roughly 35 - 45 minutes.
Cool in tin 10 mins then place cake on wire rack to cool completely.
Ice with the best icing in the world!

Cream Cheese Icing

Blend together 125g cream cheese and 65g softened butter or margarine (an electric beater works best for this)
When it is smooth start adding sifted icing sugar, roughly 1/3 cup at a time. Beat well between each addition. Add as much as you like for the sweetness you like!

Spread over cooled cake.

Devour.

Chocolate Berry Cake

This makes a fairly dense, moist cake. Not great for decorating but lovely as a dessert cake or adult's birthday cake.

1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tblsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (vegetable/canola)
2 Tblsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup water
1 cup frozen mixed berries (best to avoid strawberries though as they tend to go very mushy)

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add sugar and toss to mix.
Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and stir with a fork until smooth.
Add berries and fold in gently.
Pour into a greased and lined tin and bake at 190 for 30 - 40 minutes.
Leave in tin 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Icing:

This icing does not set, it stays thick and gooey and fantastic!

In a small pan melt chocolate buttons, take off heat and whisk in sour cream. Stir until glossy and smooth then pour over cake.
There are no exact amounts, I just go by what I feel like, for an extra hit of berry flavour I like to also whisk in some berry jam (whatever I have on hand).

Best Brownies Ever!

This is the recipe for the best brownies ever, it happens to be gluten free and you do need to buy a gluten free bread mix for it but it is totally worth it because you will make them again and again!

200g butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups sugar (white, brown, castor or a mix, whatever you have will work)
1 cup cocoa
3 eggs
1/2 cup GF bread mix (I use Healtheries Bread and Baking Mix)
150g chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar and cocoa.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Stir in bread mix and chocolate chips.
Pour into paper lined baking tin and bake at 150 for 30 - 50 minutes*
Cool in tray then cut into squares.

These are delicious by themselves or as a dessert with a good vanilla ice-cream.

* to test if brownies are cooked insert a skewer (or if you are me a fondue fork) the inside should not be gloopy but some crumbs should stick to the skewer/fork