The best ever carrot cake
This simple carrot cake recipe is moist, light and delicious. It's also nut-free (unless you choose to decorate with them). Perfect for morning tea or a special occasion cake.
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Servings: 12
Calories: 419kcal
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 free-range eggs
- 270 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g plain flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 ml olive oil
- 320 g grated carrots about 3 medium
Icing
- 65 butter softened
- 100 g cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 240 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from one lemon
- Pecans and extra icing sugar about ½ a cup to serve
Instructions
Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan-forced and grease and line a 22cm round tin.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
- In another bowl, stir all the dry ingredients together and then tip them into the mixer bowl and beat until combined.
- Add the olive oil and the carrots and mix them through.
- Scrape the batter into the tin and bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Icing
- Beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla together until light and creamy then mix in the lemon zest.
- Add the icing sugar and start with the mixer on low speed and beat until it is incorporated.
- Turn the speed up and continue to beat until the icing is fluffy and white. It will seem like it won't get there but keep beating, it will.
- Take the cake out of the tin.
- Place the half a cup of icing sugar in a mound on a plate.
- Take the cake between your open hands (hands in position like you were clapping) and gently roll and press the sides of the cake into the icing sugar.
- When the sides are coated, place the cake on a serving plate.
- Spread the icing over the top of the cake and decorate with pecans.
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 4762IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 1mg
Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations
