Carrot and pineapple daisy cake recipe

Photo:Carrot and pineapple daisy cake recipe

The home of Tasty Food Recipes invites you to try Carrot and pineapple daisy cake recipe. Enjoy my collection of delicious food recipes and learn how to make Carrot and pineapple daisy cake .

This delicious fruit and carrot cake is a beautiful centrepiece for the party table.

Preparation Time
30 minutes

Cooking Time
90 minutes

Ingredients (serves 20)
Vegetable oil, to grease
300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
255g (1 1/4 cups, firmly packed) brown sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 x 440g can crushed pineapple, well drained
100g (1 cup) coarsely grated carrot
115g (1 cup) coarsely chopped walnuts
3 eggs
185ml (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
22 thin savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)
Ribbon, to decorate
Yellow & white daisies, to decorate
Cream cheese icing
3 x 250g pkts cream cheese, at room temperature
450g (3 cups) icing sugar mixture, sifted
2 tbs milk

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Brush a 22cm (base measurement) round cake pan with oil to grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the flour, sugar and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the pineapple, carrot and walnut, and stir until well combined.

Whisk together the eggs and oil in a large jug. Add to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. (See tip 1)

To make the cream cheese icing, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the milk and beat until well combined.

Use a large serrated knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. (See tip 2) Place the base of the cake, cut-side up, on a serving plate or cake stand. Top with one-quarter of the icing and spread to the edge. Top with the remaining cake. Spread the remaining icing over the top and side of the cake. Arrange the biscuits, side-by-side, around the side of the cake. Tie a piece of ribbon around the cake to secure. Arrange the daisies on top of the cake to decorate.

Notes
Shopping tip: You'll need to buy 2 x 250g packets of thin savoiardi biscuits for this recipe. If you have any leftover biscuits, you can use them in other recipes, such as tiramisu or trifle.
Make it ahead:
Prepare this recipe to the end of step 4 up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container. Make the icing (step 5) up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Continue from step 6 up to 4 hours ahead. Tip 1: Allow the cake to cool completely before icing it or the icing will melt. Also, to ensure the cream cheese is soft enough to beat, remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before making the icing. Tip 2: To cut the cake evenly, use a large serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion. Before icing the cake, use a pastry brush to remove crumbs from the serving platter. This stops crumbs from getting into the icing. With a twist: We've come up with some delicious variations to our celebration cakes so you can give each cake a new twist.
Variations:
Rich chocolate & strawberry cake: For a two-tone effect, replace 1 packet of dark choc melts with white choc melts. Melt separately to make 14 dark chocolate panels and 14 white chocolate panels. Coconut, custard & passionfruit layer cake: Replace the raspberries with washed, hulled, sliced strawberries. Carrot & pineapple daisy cake: Add a few drops of coconut essence to the icing when adding the milk. Continue the tropical theme by replacing the daisies with fresh tropical flowers, such as orchids.
Make it quicker:
Follow these handy cheat's tips to make the cakes quicker if you're short on time or need a cake at late notice. Cheat's tips: Rich chocolate & strawberry cake: Omit the strawberries, and white and milk choc melts. Top the cake with a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Replace the chocolate ganache with bought chocolate frosting. Coconut, custard & passionfruit layer cake: Replace the vanilla custard with double cream. Whisk the cream in a bowl until firm peaks form. Carrot & pineapple daisy cake: Replace the cream cheese icing with bought vanilla frosting. Cutting the cake: It's almost too pretty to eat … almost! Follow these tips to cut your cake: Remove the ribbon and flowers from the cake. Cut the cake with a serrated knife. Use the savoiardi biscuits as a guide of where to cut. Use a cake slice to gently transfer each piece onto a plate.

Source
Good Taste - February 2009, Page 112
Recipe by Michelle Southan