Carrot Cake
Intermed..
Carrot cake is a firm favourite, and what’s better? It’s really simple to make. We use pecan nuts in this recipe, but you could try walnuts instead. You could also add raisins if you like!
PREP IN
45 MIN
COOK IN
60 MIN
SERVE
12
Carrot Cake
Intermed..
PREP IN
45 MIN
COOK IN
60 MIN
SERVE
12
Introduction
Carrot cake is a firm favourite, and what’s better? It’s really simple to make. We use pecan nuts in this recipe, but you could try walnuts instead. You could also add raisins if you like!
Ingredients
- 270g plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 255g golden or white granulated sugar
- 185ml extra light olive, canola or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225g carrot, grated (about 2 large carrots)
- 150g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 200g full fat cream cheese, chilled
- 75g-90g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Handful chopped pecan nuts, for decorating
FOR THE CARROT CAKE LOAF:
FOR THE ICING:
Method
- 1. For the carrot cake loaf, pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper, or grease and flour it.
- 2. Sift together flour with raising agents, spices and salt, set aside.
- 3. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon. Add oil and vanilla and mix until combined.
- 4. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the grated carrot and chopped pecans and mix just until evenly distributed.
- 5. Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
- 6. Leave to cool in the loaf tin on a wire cooling rack for about 30 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely before frosting.
- 7. For the frosting, beat cream cheese in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Add icing sugar and vanilla and beat on low until mixture is smooth. It will be quite slack at this stage as the sugar melts into the cream cheese. Now increase speed of mixer to high and beat or whip until icing has thickened to a spreadable consistency, about 30-40 seconds.
- 8. Spread cream cheese frosting over the top of the cooled carrot cake loaf with a spatula or back of a spoon. Sprinkle with chopped pecans nuts, and if you like, little royal icing carrots.
- 9. Loaf will keep for 3-4 days. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge. As this loaf keeps so well, you can make it a few days ahead of an event.
