Servings
Font
Back
0.0 from 0 votes

My best carrot cake recipe

This is my best tried and tested carrot cake recipe with cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Servings: 1 large cake
Course: Baked Goods
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pecan nuts toasted and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup or 200gms densely packed dark brown sugar such as demerara or muscovado
  • ½ cup or 100gms white granulated sugar
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 1 cup or 250ml sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence optional
  • 1 cup or 250ml crushed pineapple drained from tin 432gm tin/net weight 281gm
  • 2 cups or 500ml grated carrots half finely grated and half coarsely
  • ½ cup raisins or sultanas presoaked in boiling water and then drained
  • 2 1/2 cups or 312gm cups cake or all-purpose flour 
  • 3 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb baking soda
Cream cheese frosting:
  • 200 grams butter at room temperature
  • 350 grams icing sugar
  • 3 Tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 230 - 250 grams cream cheese a solid kind

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat the oven to 150C/300F and spread the pecan nuts on a baking tray. Roast for 7 – 8 minutes until toasted. Allow to cool.
  2. Turn the oven up to 180C/350F and line 2 x 23cm (9inch) springform cake tins with baking paper.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat the two sugars with the eggs, until fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined.
  4. Fold through the drained crushed pineapple, grated carrots, presoaked, and drained raisins until well mixed.
  5. In a separate bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients twice and then fold this through the wet cake batter until well incorporated.
  6. Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. The cake is done when a sharp knife is inserted into the middle and comes out clean. Loosely cover the cakes with tin foil for about 25 minutes if necessary and to prevent over-browning.
  7. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on a cooling rack. They should be completely cool before icing/frosting them.
To make the frosting:
  1. It’s very important to prevent the cream cheese from splitting or becoming too runny that you only add it right at the end and do not over mix it.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, milk, and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 4 – 5 minutes. At this point you cannot overmix the frosting and beat it for a longer time makes it softer and more fluffy.
  3. Add the chilled cream cheese and mix very briefly and only until it is incorporated and smooth.

Notes

  • This cake will keep for 3 - 5 days in a sealed container.