It’s been way too hot and humid to contemplate turning on the oven and baking for quite some time now. Today I’ve only relented as my girls have an upcoming hike for their Duke Of Edinburgh award scheme. I feel more than a little sorry for them. This weekend is going to be hot and they will be trekking with heavy packs laden with all their camping gear and three days’ supply of food and water.

I must say long-life, non perishable food can be very uninspiring. To supplement their “rations” I’ve made little carrot muffin loaves,and  in lieu of a more traditional lemon cream cheese frosting (definitely not easily transportable), I’ve dressed them with  a crunchy streusel topping. If they sound vaguely familiar it’s because they’ve been adapted from one of my earlier posts Super Moist. Super Delicious. Carrot Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

They’re light and moist and very, very moreish. I think maybe half the batch survived the kitchen counter and made it into the packs. Howls of dismay. To make amends  I fired up the oven yet again and mixed up a batch of Sweet and Salty Five Seed Crackers.  Crisp and crunchy, sweet yet salty, they pack a powerful energy punch through the inclusion of five different seeds: chia, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseed. Happy hiking girls.

Little Carrot Muffin Loaves With A Streusel Topping
Makes 8 small loaves

3 medium carrots
125g packet of pecans (this includes 4 tablespoons required for streusel topping)
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 cup (80g) brown sugar
3/4 cup (185ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125ml) golden syrup
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the Streusel Topping

2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
2 tablespoons self raising flour
4 tablespoons pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (set aside from cake batter ingredient list)

PREHEAT oven to 170C. Grease an eight hole mini loaf tin generously with butter, then base line each hole with squares of baking paper.
PEEL the carrots and grate them coarsely using a box grater. Set aside.
LIGHTLY toast pecans in a dry pan. Allow to cool a little before coarsely chopping with a large kitchen knife. Set aside 4 tablespoons of the pecans for the streusel topping and use the remainder for the carrot cake batter.

For the Streusel Topping
Combine sugars, flour and pecans in a small bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips  until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

For the Carrot Cake Batter
SIFT the flours, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice into a large bowl.
LIGHTLY whisk brown sugar, oil, golden syrup, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl.
ADD to sifted dry ingredients, stirring lightly until just combined.
LASTLY fold through grated carrot and remaining coarsely chopped pecans.
SPOON batter evenly into the prepared tin. Scatter streusel mixture evenly over the batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. If streusel mixture looks like it is browning too quickly, cover with a sheet of  baking foil.
LEAVE to cool in tin for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.