The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Carrot cake is a firm favourite of ours, but it’s not always easy to get right. Follow our recipe to get a deliciously moist sponge that’s full of spice.
2 minute read
You will need:
- zest of half a large orange
- 200g self-raising flour
- 75g dried mixed fruit
- 75g walnuts (crushed or whole)
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 175ml sunflower oil
- 200g carrots
- 175g soft light brown sugar
- Preheat the oven to 160C or gas 4. Grease a loose bottomed cake tin with oil or butter.
- Mix together the orange zest, flour, dried fruit, walnuts (whole if you want a more textured cake), the baking powder and the spices.
- Beat the eggs and whisk together with the oil and the sugar. It will form an unattractive brown mixture. Make a well in your flour mix and pour in.
- Grate your carrots into the mixture. It will feel like you have loads, but that's what keeps the cake nice and moist, so keep grating.
- Mix together until smooth and pour into the cake tin.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes in the oven. You can test if it's cooked by skewering the middle and if the knife comes out clean, then it's cooked.
- Leave for 5 minutes in the tin, before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool.
For the cream cheese topping, you will need:
- 100g icing sugar
- 100g soft unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Juice and zest from half a large orange
- 200g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese
- crushed walnuts to decorate
- Beat together the sugar and butter for 5 minutes until well combined.
- Add the orange juice to soften up the mixture.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until light and fluffy.
- Leave to chill in the fridge until the cake is cool and then smooth over the top
