Carrot cake loaf and leftover gin!

 

In today's video I make a yummy carrot cake and share how I made vanilla extract from leftover gin!

Carrot cake ingredients:

• 2 large eggs (room temp)
• 155g (3/4 cup) sugar
• 110g (1/2 cup) oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 190g (1 cup + 5tbsp) plain flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 230g (2 cups) grated carrots 
• 60g (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:

1.  Mix eggs and sugar for 1 min until slightly frothy
2.  Add oil and vanilla.  Mix gently.
3.  Add dry ingredients in 2 halves.
4.  Add carrots (and walnuts) and stir well.
5.  Bake in a lined loaf tin for 50 mins at 175C.

Cool before slicing.

This is my version of THIS RECIPE I found on Pinterest years ago.  I usually have all these ingredients to hand so it's a good recipe to mix up quickly when you need an easy cake. 

Here's the Craft Gin Club that I talked about CLICK HERE. It was fun at first getting a box of goodies every other month but it got to the stage where I had too many bottles and I actually wasn't drinking much hence the 'leftover gin' to make the vanilla extract!!  That's how I came to have my colourful rainbow gin bottles!

Here's my list of storecupboard/fridge/freezer contents. 

And here are some extra items I got after I filmed.  I give my DIL some cash every now and again to buy any bargains she finds in the supermarkets in the town centre.  She's an expert now at going near closing time and scooping up some yellow stickers.   She messages me with photos of 'stuff' to see if I want them. Everything above was reduced!  So I have more chicken, some potatoes, baked beans, coconut cream (curry is def on the menu now!) and my favourite pickle Branston Piccalilli that I can literally eat by the spoonful!!!  BTW piccalilli in baked beans is amazing!

Luna is still feeling a bit under the weather.  I'm guessing her taste buds/sense of smell is off as she's eating a lot of really manky stuff when she's outside 🤮  So she's in a huff with me as I'm putting her harness and lead on to go outside in the garden!  We've already had one bout of D&V so I'm not keen to repeat it!  She'll just need to lump it!! 😂