Carrot Cake Recipe

With only a few days left before Easter, today's cake recipe is for a true Easter classic, the carrot cake.

This is a light and fluffy cake containing carrots as a base for the cake and which is typically coated with a cream cheese frosting. This cake can easily be decorated for Easter and the addition of small chocolate eggs or chocolate nests filled with eggs makes it a delight for the kids.

Carrot Cake

Serves: 8–12

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

225g (1/2 lb) self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
175ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) sunflower oil
200g soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
300g (2/3 lb) grated carrots
75g (3 oz) pecan nuts, coarsely chopped
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
50g desiccated coconut
50g sultanas

For the Topping and Filling:

225g (1/2 lb) Mascarpone cheese
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
25g (1 oz) icing sugar

Method:

Sift together the flour, baking powder and spices into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar and eggs. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. Add the flour blend, carrots, nuts, orange zest, orange juice, coconut and sultanas. Stir well to combine then turn the mixture into two 20cm (8 in) round sandwich tins that have been greased and lined with baking parchment.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 6) and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing and the filling beat the Mascarpone cheese in a bowl until smooth and soft then beat in the orange juice and icing sugar. Use half this mixture to sandwich the two cakes together then spread the remainder on top of the cake. Decorated with shaved orange zest.

For more Easter recipes, why not visit the Celtnet Easter recipes and cookery information page?