If I am looking for a sweet treat then I feel that this carrot cake recipe is the one, and it is something the kids always enjoy, especially if it is covered in thick creamy cream cheese icing.
This year I have grown a few carrots in my veg plot so even better, straight from the ground into my cake, washed and grated of course. This cake is truly delicious and easy to make. The recipe is from my favourite cookbook called Grub by Jane Lawson. I normally bake the cake in a round tin, though I believe you can use a square tin or a loaf tin or even make carrot cake buns.
Plus, I have added a few extra spices to the recipe, but you can just use 3 teaspoons of cinnamon if you prefer.
Ingredients for the cake:
- 250g sour cream
- 280g soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- zest of 1 orange
- 310g self-raising flour sifted
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60g chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 175g tinned crushed pineapple
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated
For the cream cheese icing:
- 250g full-fat cream cheese
- 210g icing sugar sifted
- zest of 1 orange
- Some chopped walnuts for decoration
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC, 315ºF or gas 3.
- Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.
- Sift the flour, ginger, cloves and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- Mix the sugar and carrots into the flour.
- Beat the sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs and orange zest until smooth.
- Mix into the carrot mixture.
- Stir in the pineapple and walnuts and mix together well.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and cook in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until the cake is golden brown and it's fully risen.
- Test to see if the cake is fully cooked using a cake skewer, if it comes out clean then it is ready, otherwise, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a rack and let it rest.
- When it has cooled make the cream cheese icing.
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until even, if it is a little stiff add a drop of juice from the orange.
- Using a palette knife spread generously over the top of the cake.
- If it is a grown-up cake sprinkle with chopped walnuts. (If it is for the kids I use multicoloured sprinkles)
- Now pop the kettle on for a nice cup of tea and a well-deserved slice of your very own carrot cake.
Enjoy! Norah X
Cake Carrot Muffin Photo by Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash
Other Photos by Norah Sleep Living