Food is the universal language of memories isn't it? There are so many occasions when I'm cooking or eating that evoke places and people in my mind.
I remember not even being high enough to see over the bench top and "assisting" my Mum in the kitchen. The many times me, my youngest sister, and my very tiny nephew would clamber up while mum was mixing a cake and wait eagerly for a beater or the spatula to lick - lucky there was only three of us! Of course that was in the 80s and 90s when no one was getting hysterical for letting children taste raw cake batter. What I say, we all managed to survive...
Carrot and pineapple cake was - and is- my favourite. So today, I stood in her Tasmanian kitchen and used the same bowl, same spatula, and same recipe she used hundreds if not thousands of times in various homes and did my best not to cry into the mix. It doesn't seem possible a year today has already passed since we lost her, and being in the kitchen seems to me to be the best way to remember her.
When I was getting married I recall Mum telling me that if I wanted to ask my husband for something, then I should wait until after a good meal when his blood sugar was up. After over a decade of married life I can attest that not only has this proved true, but a slice of cake works just as well 😉
Here is Mum's recipe, exactly as she jotted down. Kept inside sealed container it can last for a week, but it's unlikely not to be eaten before then!
Sift together in a large mixing bowl 1 1/2 cups of sifted all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp cinnamon powder, 1/2 tsp salt
Add 2/3 cup salad oil, 2 eggs, 1 cup shredded carrot, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (with juice or syrup), and 1 TSP vanilla.
Mix until moistened, and then beat for two minutes on medium speed with a mixer.
Bake in greased and lightly floured 9" tin moderate (180°C) oven about 30 minutes or until done.
Cool 10 minutes, remove from pan and frost with your preferred icing (cream cheese icing or plain light buttercream).
***To make a vegan version omit the eggs and add another two heaped tablespoons of crushed pineapple, or two heaped tablespoons of apple sauce. Top with vegan cream cheese icing or non dairy buttercream icing.
