Carrot Cake

Moist, dense, and flavorful — who doesn't love carrot cake? Especially when it's topped with rich cream cheese icing. This much-requested recipe is easily customized to taste, with layers of mildly spiced cake flecked with carrots and walnuts.

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

• 300ml (1 1/4 cup) vegetable or sunflower oil
• 350g (2 3/4 cup) plain flour
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 150g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 zested orange and 2 zested lemons
• 350g (3 cups) grated carrots
• 100g (1 cup) unsweetened coconut
• 100g (1 cup) chopped walnuts
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g (1 cup) sultanas or raisins
• 200g (1 cup) canned pineapple (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 400g (2.5 cups) icing sugar
• 100g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 250g (1 cup) cream cheese, cold
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp orange zest (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Line two cake tins with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray or butter.
2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg) into a bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk eggs, vanilla, both sugars, and oil together, then fold in the flour mixture.
4. Add coconut, raisins, walnuts, grated carrots, citrus zest, and pineapple. Mix through.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for about 2 hours, checking with a skewer for doneness (ovens vary).
6. Let the cakes cool completely before cutting — hot cakes will fall apart.
7. Once cooled, cut each cake in half. Layer with cream cheese frosting between each layer, finishing with a rustic coating around the edges.
8. Chill for at least an hour before serving. The cake tastes even better the next day once the flavors develop.

Hugs, Alla xox

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