Carrot Cake Parfait

For the carrot cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Centigrade. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan and keep aside. In a bowl, beat both sugars, oil and eggs with a beater until well blended.

Stir in both flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and blend again on low speed for a minute. Fold in carrots and raisins (you can add nuts at this stage as well).

Pour into prepared pan, level the batter and bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove from pan after 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the Custard: In a small bowl, place ¼ cup of milk and stir in custard powder. Mix well until smooth; ensure there are no lumps. Keep aside.

Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. add custard-milk mixture into the hot mixture and keep stirring until it comes to a boil and the mixture thickens.

Simmer for a minute, remove from heat and let cool. Keep stirring while it is cooling or it will form a thick film on top. Let cool completely.

For the strawberry compote: Wash and chop strawberries into 2 to 3 pieces. Sprinkle sugar and heat in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring often for about a minute until slightly cooked and mushy.

Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and let cool. Keep aside. To assemble the carrot cake trifle: Break up carrot cake into chunks that fit into the dessert bowl or glass you will be serving the parfait in.