Classic Carrot Cake

This carrot cake recipe always receives rave reviews every time I make it. Layers of soft and fluffy cream cheese frosting are sandwiched between moist and delectable carrot cake to make a carrot cake that is to die for. The cake itself is quick and easy to make, and you don’t need any fancy equipment to make it either.

Preparing the Cake Batter

All you really need to make this cake recipe is a couple of bowls and a whisk. A stand mixer is not necessary, although can be used to speed the process. To start, I like to mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you don’t see any large streaks of flour.

Finish the cake batter by folding through the grated carrot. You may also want to add a crunch factor to the batter too. Try adding in 1/2 cup of either crushed walnuts or pecans as an addition.

Preparing the Cake Pans

Do you ever get frustrated trying to line a cake pan? Years ago I was shown a method that is virtually foolproof and I have been using it ever since. Follow the steps below for the easiest method ever to prepare your cake tins.

• Start by taking a sheet of grease proof paper and folding it in half on the diagonal.
• Fold it in half again another 3-4 times until you have a thin triangle shape.
• Flip your cake tin upside down. Place the tip of the triangle into the middle of the tin and then cut the paper towards the edge of the pan.
• Unfold the sheet, it should be roughly circle shape and will fit into the pan with little effort.

A little butter or spray oil can also be used to grease the pan and help stick the baking paper to the base.

Baking the Carrot Cake

For this recipe you need to prepare 3 x cake tins (20 x 5 cm). Once the tins are prepared, divide the batter evenly among the 3 tins. It won’t look like too much batter in each tin, but that’s ok, as they expand a bit in the oven, and then stack in layers too. The prepared batter will be baked in the oven at 180 °C for 20-22 minutes. Bake until the skewered inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Instead of making this cake as a 3 layer cake, you could choose to make this cake as 1 thick layer, or as individual cupcakes.

• For 1 cake layer – Use a deep 23 cm cake pan instead. Bake for 30-40 minutes instead until the cake is cooked through. There will be enough cream cheese frosting to do the top and sides following this recipe.
• For individual cupcakes – Line cupcake tins with liners and add the batter. Bake for 14-18 minutes. The recipe will make approximately 24 cupcakes.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

Start by adding the softened butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer, on a medium speed, beat until creamy. Next, add in the icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix the batter together until fluffy.

For the frosting, I typically start by adding 1 cup of icing sugar and mixing this through. Continue adding icing sugar 1/4 cup at a time and incorporating this in, until the desired consistency has been achieved. You may need a small additional amount of icing sugar than what the recipe states.

Note: This carrot cake can be made vegan with a couple of small adjustments to the frosting. Substitute butter for a nut butter and swap the cream cheese for a vegan cream cheese.

Finishing the Carrot Cake

Ensure the cakes are completely cooled before assembling. Divide the cream cheese frosting into 3. Take your first cake and top it with the first 1/3 of the cream cheese. Use a spatula to spread the cream cheese to the edges.

Repeat the process of adding a layer of cake and then cream cheese until your cake is three layers high. Just ice the top of the cake, leaving the sides uniced. You can finish the cake by adding some crushed pecans or walnuts on the top (for presentation add a small circle of the nuts in the centre on top). Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Any leftover cake should be kept in the fridge, and will keep for 5-6 days.