Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting
A crumbly layered carrot cake sandwiched between a velvet like smooth cream cheese frosting makes for a show stopping dessert and table center piece for the festive season.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Sieve
- Electric hand beater
- Spatula
- Baking tin (8x4 inches) - (or what you have but this will affect the cooking time. Larger the pan, lesser the cooking time and smaller the pan higher the cooking time)
- Spoon/Offset palette knife to decorate
Ingredients
Cake
- 145 gm Flour
- 160 gm Brown sugar
- 85 gm Walnuts (coarsely chopped)
- ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 2 nos Eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 150 ml Vegetable oil
- 130 gm Carrot (grated)
Frosting
- 85 gm Butter (room temperature)
- 150 gm Cream cheese (cold)
- 400 gm Icing sugar (sifted)
- 20 ml Whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 170 Deg C and line a cake tin with oil and baking Paper. I used a two 6 inch round tins
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until it has gotten lighter in color and the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the oil and vanilla whisk again until smooth.
- Add all your dry ingredients and grated carrot into the batter and using a spatula fold the batter together until combined.
- Transfer batter to the prepared baking tin and bake at 170 Deg C for 23-25 mins until risen, golden brown and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting by beating the butter until pale and creamy. Add the cream cheese and ensure there is no liquid in the cream cheese. Beat it until combined. Do not over beat it.
- Add the icing sugar in 3 stages and beat until the sugar is incorporated. This will take 2 minutes or so. Keep scrapping down the sides of the bowl to ensure al the sugar is incorporated into the icing.
- Once the cake is cooled dollop the top one layer with the cream cheese frosting, add the second layer of cake and dollop more frosting on top.
- Using a slotted spatula, scraper or a butter knife spread the frosting onto the sides of the layered cake and leave to chill in the fridge for 10 mins. If you want a clean look you can frost the cake again. If you want a rustic look you can use the left over frosting for the top of the cake.
- Garnish with walnuts and desiccated coconut.
- Slice and serve with a cup of tea.
Notes
- Substitutes:
NUTS - Use whatever nuts you have, I prefer the taste of walnuts.
EGGLESS - You could substitute ¼ cup yogurt per egg to make this an eggless cake.
VEGAN – 3 flaxseed eggs would just fine in this recipe and make for a very moist carrot cake.
LOW CARB/GLUTEN FREE - Almond flour could be used instead of regular flour for a low carb version.
REFINED SUGAR - Coconut sugar is delicious instead for brown sugar for a less refined sugar recipe.
FROSTING - If you do not have cream cheese make a regular butter cream or just dust with a little icing sugar.
You need icing sugar for frosting, no other sugar will work in this case - To make this a loaf cake bake it in a 9x4 inch loaf tin for 35-38 mins.
- To make these into cupcakes bake the batter for 12-14 mins in a cupcake tray.