Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
A really moist, easy and lightly spiced carrot cake with a citrus cream cheese icing.
Equipment
- Peeler
- Grater
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Two 20cm (8inch) round cake tins
- Electric mixer/whisk
- Zester
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 3 small carrots
- 240 ml vegetable oil
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce, bought or homemade
- 312 grams plain flour
- 200 grams demrara sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 50 grams chopped pecans optional
Cream Cheese Icing
- 75 grams butter room temperature
- 150 grams cream cheese
- 450 grams icing sugar
- 1 zest of orange
- 1 squeeze lemon juice
- 20 ml cream
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 170°c or 340°f.
- Peel the carrots and grate them.
- In the large mixing bowl, add the carrots, eggs and oil. Whisk until just combined.
- Add in the flour, raising agents, spices, apple sauce and nuts. Whisk gently until everything is combined and no lumps of flour remain.
- Switch to a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix a little to ensure everything is fully combined.
- Line and grease both cake tins and divide the cake batter between the two.
- Pop into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked. Check if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, it's ready.
- Allow to cool before icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Place the room temperature butter into the mixing bowl and with your electric mixer/beater, beat the butter until it turns pale and creamy, it will take a few minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl. Add in the cream cheese and orange zest and beat well for another minute until no lumps remain.
- Scrape down the bowl again and add in the icing sugar and a small squeeze of lemon juice.
- Beat well to remove any icing sugar lumps. Add in the cream and beat for another 20-30 seconds.
- To assemble the cake; spread 1/3 of the icing on top of one of the cooled cake layers. Turn the second cake upside down and place on top, with the bottom, flat layer as the top of the cake. Spread another third of the icing on top of the cake and use the remaining third to either coat the sides or put into a piping bag to pipe along the edge of the top. Sprinkle some pecans and cake crumbs on top of the icing.