Kaye and Geoff's Recipes - Cakes

3/4 cup melted butter				1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup honey  (or 1 cup brown sugar)		1 cup plain white flour
2 eggs, room temperature			1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract			1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt				1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
grated rind of 1 lemon (save a bit of this for the topping)
1 1/4 packed cups finely shredded carrot soaked in the juice of 1 lemon
(Save a bit of the juice for the topping)

Optional: 1/2 cup of sultanas, nuts, currants, etc. (I add sultanas)

Method:

Beat the honey and butter in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla extract and lemon rind. Beat until the mixture is light in colour.

Add the sifted flour mixture and grated carrot alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour (flour - carrot - flour - carrot - flour). After each addition mix gently to combine but do not beat or otherwise overmix - this toughens and dries out the cake. Add nuts and dried fruit last.

Generously butter a loaf pan and sprinkle it with poppy seeds. Pour in the mix and smooth it down.

Bake at 180°C for about one hour. Test it after 50 minutes - it may take up to 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook - the time seems to vary.

When the cake is cooked, cool it ten minutes in the pan, then remove to finish cooling.

Topping:

Banana Bread

1. Use 1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted
2. Use 1 1/4 cups brown sugar - not honey
3. Flavour with 1 teaspoon vanilla essence plus 1/8 teaspoon almond essence
4. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon orange rind for the lemon rind
5. Replace allspice with 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
6. Replace carrot with 3/4 cup of mashed banana pureed with 1/3 cup black coffee
7. Sprinkle sesame seeds in the pan, not poppy seeds