Crumbly, moist and full of spices, it's no wonder carrot cake is a favourite among people. Paired with a cream cheese frosting it's a perfect addition to the party table, or any table for that matter! Apart from the effort that goes into grating the carrots, this is a super easy cake to make, with everything added to one bowl.
For the cream cheese frosting you'll need to use full fat cream cheese as this prevents the icing from getting too runny. Your butter should be soft but not overly so. If decorating the sides as well as the middle and top you'll need more buttercream (1.5-2x what the recipe calls for).
Once baked, this cake can be stored in an air tight container for a few days - the frosting keeps better if it is placed in the fridge. Cakes can also be frozen ahead of time so you can be ultra prepared for a special occasion! Simply wrap each cake layer tightly in cling film and freeze.
This recipe is nut-free and also doesn't use any raisins. If you want to use walnuts then you can either add 100g to the mixture (finely chopped), or add larger chunks to the frosting between the layers and on top. If wanting raisins, add 100g (or however much desired) to the mixture.
This recipe produces a 2-layer cake.
Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
250g Caster Sugar
250ml Sunflower Oil*
4 Eggs
350g Carrots
250g Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
For the Frosting (do 1.5-2x if covering the sides):
125g Softened Butter
250g Icing Sugar
100g Full Fat Cream Cheese
*Or any other flavourless oil.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the bottoms of two baking tins (approx. 18cm) and grease the sides and dust with flour.
Grate the carrots into a bowl. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and caster sugar until combined. Add in the carrots and fold.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and spices and fold until fully incorporated.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the tins before transferring to a wire rack.
Once the cakes are cool, make the frosting by creaming the butter in a large mixing bowl until there are no lumps. Add the icing sugar a little at a time, creaming well between each addition. Finally, add the cream cheese and cream until fully combined.
Spoon half of the frosting on top of one cake and even out using a palette knife. Sandwich the other layer on top and spread the remaining frosting on top. Decorate as wanted, for example by dusting cinnamon around the edge, or, if using, placing walnuts on top.
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