Friday
5th
October, 2001.
World's Greatest Carrot Cake Recipe
This
is by far the greatest carrot cake recipe of all time and it has its
own story.
I
used to teach RE in Plymouth at Tamarside School and every breaktime
we had this carrot cake being sold in the staffroom and everytime at
breaktime I had a square. I asked the school cook on lots of
occasions for the recipe and although she was fond of me, she never
would let me have it.
Eventually
the school was OFSTEDed and we failed. However, being put under
special measures the teaching staff managed to get masses of new
training and due to this I beat 4 teachers in London for a Head of RE
job in Acland Burleigh School in Camden. Beware of what you wish for
– I wished I had stayed in Plymouth. Never mind, at least I met my
lovely second husband Fred, but that is another story.
On
the day I left Tamarside the cook came up to the staffroom and gave
me this recipe in an envelope and kissed me goodbye. It is The Best
cake recipe ever – if you make nothing else from this blog make
this one!
Oven 190/375/Gas
5
Ingredients
12
oz carrots grated
4
eggs
8
oz soft brown sugar
6
fl oz sunflower oil
8
oz wholemeal flour
2
tsp ground spice
4
oz desiccated coconut
4
oz raisins.
- Grease roasting tin very well – if you want to make a tray bake, which is really what this cake is all about, you will have enough for the tin and maybe some left over for a 1lb loat tin cake.
- Whisk eggs and sugar until really thick
- Turn down mixer and whisk in oil very slowly
- Mix in the other ingredients really well.
- Pour into the roasting tin, leaving enough room at the top for it to rise.
- Level the top of the mixture and bake until firm, shrinking from the sides and golden brown.
- Cool in tin, sprinkle with sugar, cut into squares and serve.
- Fantastic.
In
my book I wrote -
'I
made this to take to Glastonbury for a ceremonial meeting. Wendy
grated the carrots for me and gave me a hand mixer she never used.'
My
sister and I were talking again at this point – we had fallen out
for years over nothing at all, and yet over lots of things all
bundled into one. How we made friends again, or really for the first
time, is also another story. Wasn't it lovely that she gave me a
mixer?
The
ceremonial meeting was in the third or fourth year of the Goddess
Training. Now this is how it went -
1999/2000 Priestess
of Avalon training (Millenium Priestesses)
2000/2001 Rituals
and Rites of Passage (Still teaching)
2001/2002 Devotional
Year (9.11 and beyond)
2002/2003 Goddess
Project (Bed and Breakfast)
I
remember now that the ceremonial meeting was for the Goddess
Conference – I managed to be in the Ceremonial Group – the group
of 8 who held the conference together – twice. In the first year I
was West – Earth – and had a magnificent costume with a badger
head. In the second year I was East – Fire – and was so
exhausted after the conference that I had to rest for a good week –
I expanded so much energy in prophesy and nearly caught fire in the
fire ceremony, another story for another time.
