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ultimate-carrot-cake

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Aimee Field
This is the Ultimate Carrot Cake. SO moist, light and the cream cheese frosting is just the perfect accompaniment.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Course Cakes
Cuisine British
Servings 12 Slices

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 4 large eggs
  • 225 ml sunflower oil
  • 175 g light muscovado sugar
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 300 g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 50 g pine nuts toasted
  • 350 g 2-3 carrots, grated

Icing

  • 400 g full-fat cream cheese
  • 50 ml double cream
  • 75 g icing sugar
  • additional pine nuts for decoration

Instructions
 

  • For the cakes: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line and butter three 8" baking tins. Put the eggs, oil, sugar and maple syrup in a bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric whisk for 4-5 minutes until the mixture becomes creamy.
  • Sift together the cinnamon, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then fold carefully into the mixture. Finally, gently fold the pine nuts and carrot in.
  • Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • For the icing: Beat the cream cheese and double cream together until smooth, then beat in the icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • To assemble: Once the cakes are completely cool, place one layer onto a cake stand or plate. Then using a piping bag, pipe dots of the icing around the outer rim of the cake layer and then a larger one in the middle. Using a palette knife smear all the dots inwards, and level out all the icing making sure to keep the rounded edges intact.
  • Lay the next layer of cake on top, and repeat the icing process. Finally, top the cake with the final layer and again pipe dots of icing around the outer rim of the cake. This time however, don't level out all of the icing, instead keep the 'smears' intact to create a flower-style on top of the cake. Use the remainder of the icing, to pipe a little in the middle of the flower and add pine nuts for decoration.
Keyword carrot cake, cream cheese