More party food questions

Afternoon ladies

Ok I do not have baking skills but want to bake the cakes for DD1 party
I dont want to do cupcakes as my kids eat the icing off the top and then there is just a mountain of crumbs left on the plate ....or is that just my kids
I think one of my friends is going to do cupcakes as she's brilliant at them. I m thinking about something like carrot cake and also Parkin (more for the adults) oooo and some of those whoopie pie thingys. I've had a trial run of the Parkin and Whoopie pies and I know I can do the Parkin in advance as it gets better with time and can last two weeks. The Whoopie pies I will do the day before.

I ve not made carrot cake before anyone got a good foolproof recipe? Also how long does it keep. If I can do it 4/5 days before that will help me.

Thanks in advance

Nicola

Sorry, can't help but @Louise might be able to.

I hope you're going to show us pictures. I crave cake terribly when pregnant. The secret baker pics nearly sent me barmy.

ive tried a couple of carrot cake recipes, all have worked, i omit the walnuts if there are going to be tinies! The other cake i do which most people LOVE is sweet potato and chocolate cake. Its totes easy and dead yummy esp warm with ice cream mmmmm

I would probably freeze the cake if making that far in advance then just make the filling/topping and put it together the day before/on the day.

This is mine -

Ingredients
150g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
150g soft light brown sugar
3 free-range eggs
200g self-raising wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
100g sultanas or raisins
200g carrots, peeled and grated
100g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate

For the icing:
150g full-fat cream cheese
50g light brown soft sugar
Zest of ½ lemon and a squeeze of juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and grease and line the bases of 2 x 18cm sandwich tins.

2. Put the melted butter, sugar and eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk well until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture has almost doubled in volume.

3. Sift together the flour, bicarb, salt and spices and then fold very gently into the liquid mixture, being careful to knock as little air out as possible. Fold in the remaining ingredients and divide between the tins. Bake for about 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins.

4. Meanwhile, beat together the icing ingredients and refrigerate. When the cakes are cool enough to ice, remove from the tins, top one with half the icing, and then the other cake. Ice the top, and decorate with the remaining pecans.

I have omitted the pecans in the past and decorated the top of the cake with carrots made from sugarpaste.

Yum yum! Thanks everyone
I ll see what I can do.
The party is a week on Sunday ....aaaaarrrrgh! So much to organise before then!
Xxxx