This is the King of Carrot cakes. And it's been a pretty well guarded secret, until now that is. It's best made the day before.
Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil - good quality
3 large eggs - room temp
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts - roughly chopped
450g carrots - grated and excess juice squeezed out
1/2 cup diced pineapple - fresh only. Don't bother if you're going to use canned.
Zest of one orange
Juice of half an orange
Juice of half a lemon
Icing:
340g cream cheese - room temp
225g unsalted butter - room temp
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
350g icing sugar - sifted
Zest of one lemon
1 tblspn lemon juice
x2 20cm (8") round cake pans - line with baking paper and butter
Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 175 C
2. Beat eggs and sugar in a mixer until a pale yellow and then add oil and vanilla
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt
4. Stir flour into egg mixture. When half incorporated, fold in walnuts, carrots, pineapple, zest, and juices.
NT. I cannot stress this enough. Do not over mix this batter, or the cake will be awful. Once the flour is JUST mixed, and there is a relatively even distribution of ingredients, stop.
5. Divide batter equally between the 2 pans and bake for 55 to 60 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in pans, on a wire rack.
Icing:
1. If you're fortunate enough to have a mixer with a paddle attachment, then you've just saved yourself a lot of elbow grease. Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well combined and lump free. The vanilla doesn't always incorporate right away, just keep working it.
2. Add sugar in batches, tasting as you go and adjust accordingly. Fold in zest and juice until combined and set aside.
NT. I've always found that one of those large, flat, plastic paddle-like spoons (the name eludes me) is the best thing for the job. And having the cream cheese and butter at room temperature is crucial for the right consistency.
Also, once refrigerated, this icing becomes quite firm. So it's best made just before you're ready to frost your cake.
3. This makes enough icing to have a healthy layer in between the two cakes and to completely frost the outside.
Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil - good quality
3 large eggs - room temp
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts - roughly chopped
450g carrots - grated and excess juice squeezed out
1/2 cup diced pineapple - fresh only. Don't bother if you're going to use canned.
Zest of one orange
Juice of half an orange
Juice of half a lemon
Icing:
340g cream cheese - room temp
225g unsalted butter - room temp
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
350g icing sugar - sifted
Zest of one lemon
1 tblspn lemon juice
x2 20cm (8") round cake pans - line with baking paper and butter
Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 175 C
2. Beat eggs and sugar in a mixer until a pale yellow and then add oil and vanilla
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt
4. Stir flour into egg mixture. When half incorporated, fold in walnuts, carrots, pineapple, zest, and juices.
NT. I cannot stress this enough. Do not over mix this batter, or the cake will be awful. Once the flour is JUST mixed, and there is a relatively even distribution of ingredients, stop.
5. Divide batter equally between the 2 pans and bake for 55 to 60 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in pans, on a wire rack.
Icing:
1. If you're fortunate enough to have a mixer with a paddle attachment, then you've just saved yourself a lot of elbow grease. Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well combined and lump free. The vanilla doesn't always incorporate right away, just keep working it.
2. Add sugar in batches, tasting as you go and adjust accordingly. Fold in zest and juice until combined and set aside.
NT. I've always found that one of those large, flat, plastic paddle-like spoons (the name eludes me) is the best thing for the job. And having the cream cheese and butter at room temperature is crucial for the right consistency.
Also, once refrigerated, this icing becomes quite firm. So it's best made just before you're ready to frost your cake.
3. This makes enough icing to have a healthy layer in between the two cakes and to completely frost the outside.
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I must confess, I've been quite selfish with this recipe in the past. But it's just so delicious, I had to share it with you.
The original recipe for this cake has a cup of raisins... but I hate them, so they've been omitted in this version. My kitchen, my rules.
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