A firm family favourite
A carrot cake has got to be one the best inventions ever. Top it with a cream cheese frosting and it’s to die for. In our family, our go to cake for birthdays or a treat for tea has always been a carrot cake. Everyone loves it and it just feels so wonderfully comforting and homely. It is an oil-based cake, so it always has a wonderful moist crumb. Although there are many different variations of carrot cake, we love nuts and spice, so my recipe really pops with the flavour of all the delicious extra ingredients. Some people prefer to use a butter cream icing, but for me, there is nothing that beats a lovely citrusy cream cheese frosting.
A carrot cake with all the bells and whistles
A basic carrot cake is made from carrots, eggs, sugar, flour, a raising agent such as baking powder, oil and some spices like cinnamon and ginger. I like to add extra spice to my carrot cake, so I add lots of cinnamon, along with ginger, allspice and mixed spice. In addition, I add vanilla, which brings a depth of flavour to the cake. For a raising agent I use baking powder as well as bicarbonate of soda, as the bicarbonate of soda helps give the cake a darker colour.
In my opinion, pineapple is a very important ingredient in any carrot cake, as it acts as a natural sweetener. It also helps keep the crumb extra moist and adds some acidity and fruitiness. Typically either walnuts or pecans are the preferred nuts in a carrot cake. I add pecans, as I find that walnuts can sometimes give a slightly bitter taste to the cake. Lastly, I add orange and lemon zest for a citrus note, and some sultanas or raisins for some texture and a pop of sweetness.
For my frosting, I use cream cheese whipped with a little icing sugar. I flavour it with orange zest, lemon juice and vanilla. You can add more or less sugar or flavourings as you prefer. If you don’t want a very strong cheese flavour, you can replace half the cream cheese with buttercream. Just make sure that the buttercream is soft before you add the cream cheese, so you don’t get any lumps.
Tips for the top cake
Firstly, make sure that you whisk the eggs and sugar together very well, until pale yellow, thick and aerated. This will give your cake extra volume and make it lovely and light. Secondly, be sure to grate your carrots on the coarse side of the grater. Grating them too finely can result in a dense and heavy cake. Finally, as the cake bakes for a long time, it can get too dark on top before it cooks through fully. I usually find that I have to turn my oven temperature down slightly after about an hour of baking.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
- CARROT CAKE:
- 3 eggs
- 300g brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
- 250ml oil
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 lemon, zested
- 300g cake flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. mixed spice
- ½ tsp. allspice
- ¼ tsp. ginger
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 300g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (approx. 500ml)
- 180g tinned pineapple, chopped (drained weight)
- 90g pecans, chopped roughly
- 50g sultanas or raisins (optional)
- CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 400g cream cheese
- 100g icing sugar, sieved
- ½ orange, finely zested
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp. vanilla
- GARNISH:
- A selection of white and green fresh flowers and greenery
Instructions
CARROT CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Line a 19-20 cm cake tin, by spraying it with a little water and placing greaseproof paper on the base and sides of the tin. If you plan on giving the cake a naked or semi-naked look, use silicone paper as the sides will have less crumbs and it will be easier to ice.
- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standup mixer. Whisk until pale yellow, light and aerated and the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the vanilla, orange zest and lemon zest. Gradually whisk in the oil, pouring it into the mixing bowl in a steady drizzle.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, mixed spice, allspice, ginger and salt together in a large bowl.
- Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients, and add the carrots, pineapple, pecan nuts and raisins.
- Fold everything together with a large metal spoon. Make sure there are no pockets of flour, but do not over mix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven.
- Carefully check the cake after 1 hour. If the top is getting very dark (it should be a golden brown) turn the temperature down to 160°C (140°C fan).
- Bake for a further 15-30 minutes. It is done when it is beautifully risen and a skewer comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to stand in the tin for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn out of the tin, onto a wire cooling rack and remove the greaseproof paper from the sides and base. Allow to cool completely.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Beat the cream cheese to soften.
- Beat in the icing sugar, orange zest, lemon juice and vanilla until the icing is smooth and a spreadable consistency. Taste and add more orange zest, lemon juice or vanilla if desired.
TO ASSEMBLE:
- Using a cake knife or a sharp bread knife, slice the cake in half horizontally.
- Spread a generous layer of icing on the base layer, and then sandwich the cake together.
- Ice the cake as desired. I like to have a semi-naked look. To achieve this, ice a thin layer on the sides of the cake using a palette knife, leaving some cake visible. Add a thick layer of icing on the top of the cake, and smooth with a palette knife.
- Decorate carefully with fresh flowers.
