Friday, July 06, 2012

The ultimate carrot cake

I know what you're thinking: carrot cake is so boring and so DONE already. Pass me another blog.
I don't care. It might be uncool and deeply suburban these days, but good carrot cake is my all-time favourite. And since it's my birthday, I get to choose. Ok, yes, there will be a ballerina on it. No, mummy doesn't want pink icing. But thanks for asking.


The ultimate carrot cake
I have no time for those carrot cakes that have just a hint of carrot in them. I like mine to be loaded with carrot, walnuts and nuggets of fruit. Cream cheese icing is a must.

3 eggs
175ml oil
300g brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
60ml (1/4 cup) sour cream
200g wholemeal flour
60g rye flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
300g carrot, grated
50g desiccated coconut
150g dried fruit - crystallized ginger, dates and papaya, chopped
100g walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 160c and grease and line a 23cm tin. Put the eggs, oil, sugar, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl and beat well (I do this in my freestanding mixer). Sift in the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine, then fold in the carrot, coconut, dried fruit and walnuts. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 80-90 minutes, or until a skewer plunged into the cake comes out cleanly. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Ginger cream cheese icing
This is the latest version of my favourite caramel cream cheese icing. Beat 100g of soft butter with 3Tbsp soft brown sugar and 4Tbsp lemon and honey syrup (my favourite is this one), along with a pinch of ground ginger. Beat in 200g room temperature cream cheese and dollop over the cake.

Have a great weekend everyone x Pin It

14 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday Lucy.
    I love this recipe.
    Will give it a go sometime. Don't think I have done a carrot cake with rye flour or dates or coconut in before - really like the sound of it.

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  2. happy birthday x mmmmm cream cheese ...

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  3. Well happy birthday to you!

    What an excellent use of Bees Blessing syrup - I love that stuff.

    Totally agree on the carrot:carrot cake ratio - there needs to be plenty!

    Hope you have a brilliant day x

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  4. Oh god that icing. Yes! Happy birthday, I am with you all the way on carrot cake, and couldn't agree more that cream cheese icing is a must. Have a good one x

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  5. Happy birthday! You share your birthday with two very special people... my daughter (6 today) and the Dalai Lama! Hope you have a good one xxx

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  6. Oh not ANOTHER bleedin carrot cake recipe.. Pass me another slice... I mean blog... Doh! Gorgeous recipe. Love it loaded with carrot. Happy Birthday ladeeeee!

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  7. Happy Birthday! July born people are the best...

    I, too, love carrot cake although I always ignore the raisin element of it (cannot abide raisins or sultanas in food except for malt loaf. Weird) and the caramel cream cheese icing sounds incredible. Will definitely be making that soon!

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  8. Happy happy birthday! cake looks delicious, and well done on avoiding the pink icing :-) x

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  9. Happy happy birthday! cake looks delicious, and well done on avoiding the pink icing :-) x

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  10. Happy birthday!!! And hey - carrot cake is a classic and that means it is always fabulous. Enjoy hon. Becks xxx

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  11. happy birthday lucy - carrot cake never goes out of fashion - yours sounds lovely

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  12. I love carrot cake too and my boyfriend is always begging for carrot cake. It is always a winner! It looks great too! Happy Birthday!

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  13. Hope you had a lovely birthday :) This is the recipe I always use too, it's a goodie isn't it!

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  14. Happy Birthday Lucy!! The best bit about carrot cake is always the cream cheese icing!!! I even put cream cheese icing on my banana cake too. Love the product placement of the 'kitchen maid' cake tin behind the cake ;)

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