Saturday 1 August 2009

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting~Sweet and Simple Bake!


I present to you my offering for this month’s Sweet and Simple Bake! I was over the moon when Rosie presented us with my favourite carrot cake recipe. I have baked this amazing carrot cake many times and it never fails me. It is always a big hit with family and friends, attracting many positive comments and exclamations of delight! There are probably hundreds of recipes for carrot cake but personally a good carrot cake recipe is packed with carrots, spice, nuts, raisins and not forgetting the cream cheese frosting (my cream cheese frosting didn't come out as good as other times due to the humid weather). This recipe without doubt delivers all this; the cake is delectable and a carrot cake lover’s dream! Please pop over to Sweet and Simple Bakes to check out more yummy entries.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves 12

Ingredients
180g (6½ oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp mixed spice
2 eggs
150 ml (5 fl oz) vegetable or sunflower oil
200g (7 oz) soft light or dark brown sugar
300g (11 oz) grated carrots
100g (4 oz) sultanas
75g (3 oz) walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cream Cheese icing
75g (3 oz) cream cheese
75g (3 oz) softened butter
125g (4½ oz) icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

For Decoration
Sprinkles or walnut halves – optional
You will need a 13cm x 23cm (5 in x 9 in) loaf tin, oil and line the loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and leave aside. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, now add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, sultanas and chopped walnuts. Stir in all sifted dry ingredients and bring the mixture together with a wooden spoon. Turn into the prepared tin, smooth the top of the mixture and bake in the oven for 1 – 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make The Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until combined. Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and mix to combine. Using a palette knife, spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Add the sprinkles or walnut halves if desired. Served cut into slices.

17 comments:

Snooky doodle said...

I ve baked this too and I have to say it's amazing, I m baking this cake in cupcakes too :)

Heather said...

A lovely moist carrot cake and very attractively presented. Great job, Maria!

Kelly-Jane said...

Looks lovely Maria :)

Pity said...

moist and delicious, my mouth is watering....buen trabajo maria!

xxx,

pity

Reeni said...

This looks so yummy! You decorated it so cute!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Your carrot cake looks beautiful Maria. Love the sugar flowers on top - well done on a great bake :0)

Rosie x

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Boy that looks good, especially with the frosting and flowers. Yum!

Joanne said...

Fantastic pick for the month. For me, carrot cake is number one but the cream cheese frosting always has to be there as well as the raisins. Too good!

Pari Vasisht said...

Thanks Maria for sharing such a lovely recipe with us. It was indeed a pleasure baking the cake.And thanks for saying such sweet words of encouragement...it means a lot.

lilmizlynn said...

Thank you for introducing this wonderful cake to me, if not I wld probably never will eat any carrot cake. Simply delicious. :)

Sugar said...

The cake looks so nice and delicious...the deco is so nice and simple..

Maggie said...

Lovely recipe and the cake looks wonderful too.

Anonymous said...

Looking at your picture close up it seems like you had the exact same result with the frosting as I did. I too made it on a warm day and as I'd never made cream cheese frosting before I had no idea the weather/temperature could mess with it like that.

Your cake still looks absolutely delicious though!

The Girl said...

Absolutely loved this month's bake - so impressed with myself for having made a carrot cake. I didn't find anyone who refused a slice either, even Fred and Lily liked it (although that was behind my back!)

Unknown said...

Hi, I am a first timer to your website as was searching for the perfect carrot cake. Thank you Sooooo much for this recipe - this cake got me out of some pretty hot water with my boyfriend! Whoever says the way to a mans heart is through his stomach was spot on :) thanks again, ellie

Megan said...

wow! what kind of food coloring did you use to make those pretty colors on top?

Recetas al instante said...

you have yummy stuff.

Regards

Olga.