Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
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Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe is a bit of a roller-coaster ride but absolutely worth it, so get strapped in for the best carrot cake of your life. The ingredients list may look a little daunting and there’s a lot going on, but it’s actually an easy cake to make, and when you taste it, there’s balance in all the chaos. The acidity collides with the sweetness to create a firecracker of flavour, then the smoothness of the cream cheese contrasts perfectly with the crunch of walnuts and coconut.
Image: SAM A HARRIS
Serves
10
Total Time
1 Hour 40 Minutes
Ingredients
TO MAKE THE CAKE
300ml of sunflower oil or rapeseed oil
350g of soft light brown sugar
4 medium eggs
100g of ground almonds
100g of walnut pieces
100g of sultanas
100g of desiccated coconut
250g of self-raising flour
2 tbsp of ground mixed spice
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp of salt
400 of grated carrots
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
TO MAKE THE ICING
50g of soft butter
300g of cream cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
50g of icing sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lime or some crushed walnuts, to finish (optional)
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/gas mark 4 and line your 22 x 33 x 5cm baking tray.

Step 2

To make the cake, combine the oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in the ground almonds, walnuts, sultanas and coconut. Sift in the flour, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then fold in gently.

Step 3

Add the grated carrots, along with the zest and juice of the orange and lemon, then mix thoroughly, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Check the bottom of the mixing bowl, too, as the sugar and oil tend to play hide-and-seek down there.

Step 4

When all the ingredients are well combined, pour into your lined baking tray and bake for 45–50 minutes. Test to see if the cake is cooked by sticking a knife in the middle; it should come out clean.

Step 5

Transfer the cake to a wire rack or chopping board and leave to cool, now make the icing. Beat the butter in a stand mixer on a slow speed (or by hand), adding the cream cheese a dollop at a time, then add the lemon juice and keep mixing. Finally, sift in the icing sugar and mix well. When the cake has fully cooled, spread the icing evenly on top. Keep it simple or decorate with lime zest for a bit of funky colour and extra zing, or some crushed walnuts for added crunch.

Bake It. Slice It. Eat It. by Tom Oxford and Oliver Coysh (Quadrille, £15) Photography ©Sam A Harris

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