For those of you who don’t know me, this is one cake I’m well known for. I’ve made it a number of times for a number of birthdays, street fairs, get togethers, competitions and probably other things I can’t remember.
Out of all the cakes this one is the most special to me, it has a special place in my heart and I can’t remove it anytime soon. A lot of people comment on it which is so lovely, I love baking for people to make them happy, it’s so rewarding and it’s one of the reasons I bake.
I do love eating carrot cake and it’s one of the cakes which is a bit of a classic, I don’t think it will ever go out of fashion or extinct. I’m not sure if I’m right in saying this but I think it’s one of the first cakes to use a vegetable in it too. It’s a great cake for the Autumn as well with the lovely warming spices in the cake.
I think for me, there are three most important things to a good carrot cake:
1. The cream cheese icing and it has to be full fat too. I know it’s fattening, but it’s well needed. I think that gives it that extra oomph to the cake.
2. The carrot cake has to be moist(a must) and full of spice(a must), you should also be able to taste the carrots.
3. Adding walnuts and pecans if you have them, nuts in cake gives it a different texture, bite and taste, it works well. Obviously ignore this if your allergic to nuts!
Those three are a must in a carrot cake and if they’re not there it doesn’t end up being that amazing carrot cake it should be.
I hope one day you make this cake and enjoy it as much as everyone else I know does.
- 175g - light muscovado sugar
- 175ml - sunflower oil
- 3 - large eggs lightly beaten
- 140g - grated carrots
- hand ful - sultanas
- 175g - self-raising flour
- 1 tsp - bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp - ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp - mixed spice
- 90g - cubed soft butter
- 600g - cream cheese
- 1/4 - lemon juice
- 3/4 cup - icing sugar to taste
- 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 8" tins.
- 2. In a stand mixer tip the sugar, oil and add the eggs, mix until combined. Stir in the grated carrots and sultanas.
- 3. In a medium bowl sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices and then mix. Add this to the another bowl and stir until combined.
- 4. Pour the cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
- 1. In a stand mixer on a slow speed beat together the icing sugar and butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese and lemon stir until combined.
