Simple Carrot Cake
We're giving adorable bake sale vibes with this home-style carrot cake. Rustic, moist, and packed with grated carrots, it's our cutest sweet treat yet. This cake is really easy to make, so if you're new to baking, it's a good one to try.
Orange zest, allspice, and walnuts add a beautiful earthy flavour, but can be interchanged with the spices you already have in the pantry. Try orange with ground ginger, or try a version with lemon zest and ground cardamom.
And don't forget the best part - the cream cheese icing! Flavour the icing with orange or lemon zest, vanilla essence, or a little orange blossom.
This cake lasts well, staying moist in a container in the fridge for 5 days, so you can treat yourself all week long.
Ingredients 15
For The Cake
4 carrot, large, grated
1 orange, zested and juiced
1⁄2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 eggs
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
3⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 1⁄3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp allspice
For The Frosting
500 g cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 zest orange
Serving
1⁄4 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
1 orange, zested, optional
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Method 9
Preheat oven to 170°C fan-forced. Grease and line a square cake tin about 23x23cm. If you don't have this size, choose a slightly smaller size over a larger size.
Grate the on the coarse side of a box grater. You'll need about 4 cups of grated carrot in total. Zest and juice the , then roughly chop the into halves.
In large bowl whisk the , then add the orange juice, and and whisk again.
In a second large bowl, put the white and , then sift in the , , bicarb , and and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then tip in the wet ingredients. Using a spatula gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. Add the grated and and gently fold through. It will feel like you have too much carrot, but don't panic, it's the right amount! To make sure your cake is light and fluffy don't over mix the batter.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and pulling away slightly from the edges. When you pierce the cake with a skewer or toothpick, it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If you see wet batter, the cake needs more time in the oven. Once cooked, let the cake sit in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
The cake needs to be COMPLETELY cool before icing it, don't rush this step.
While the cake is cooling prepare the frosting. In a large bowl add the , the and sift the in. Mix well to combine.
Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. You can fancy it up by sprinkling it with more and finely chopped , then slice into squares to serve.
Stella Morelli's tips
This cake lasts really well! If you've iced it, store it in the fridge for up to 5 days, you'll be shocked how moist it stays. You can freeze the cake without icing for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. For extra protection, place it in an airtight container or a resealable freezer bag. Thaw the cake in the fridge for a few hours before icing.
Helpful tips
Can I use a different type of oil for the cake?
Is there a substitute for cream cheese in the frosting?
What can I use instead of walnuts?
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Notes
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