THE CARROT CAKE

Carrot cake recipe

by Ellen Jay

1 x 23-cm cake
ingredients

  • 500ml granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3ml vanilla essence
  • 375ml vegetable oil
  • 500ml cake flour
  • 5ml baking powder
  • 10ml bicarbonate of soda
  • 10ml ground cinnamon
  • 5ml salt
  • 750ml grated carrots
  • 200ml desiccated coconut
  • 250ml chopped walnut (or ½ walnuts and 1/21 pecan nuts)
  • 250ml drained crushed pineapple (but not over-drained)

topping

  • 125g butter, slightly softened
  • 500g icing sugar, sifted
  • 250g cream cheese
  • 5ml vanilla extract
  • chopped walnuts for sprinkling

method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line 2 x 23-cm cake tins with baking paper.
  2. Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract together, gradually mixing in the oil. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt, then mix into the egg mixture.
  3. Combine the carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple, then add to the batter. Pour into the prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 1 hour.
  4. For the topping, cream the butter in a bowl of a food mixer and gradually add about half the icing sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the cream cheese, then beat on slow speed.
  5. Finally add the rest of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract. Stop beating as soon as it is all mixed in, otherwise the topping will become too runny.
  6. Turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and peel off the baking paper.
  7. Spread one cake with half of the icing mixture. Place the other cake on top and spread the rest of the topping over the top of it. Sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts.

legally adopted from la petite tarte

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