My sister Anat texted my family WhatsApp group to ask if anyone knew a really good carrot cake recipe. It’s her friend's birthday and carrot is her favourite cake, so Anat wanted to make one. With my usual restraint, I immediately texted back that I have the BESTEST carrot cake recipe EVER! Anat then called and said, ‘Thanks for the recipe, just send it to me and I’ll make it. I know what your thinking, but I don’t want you to make it!' To which I replied, 'But I already have a tonne of carrots,' which I was reaching for in the crisper as we were talking. We ended up agreeing that we would do it together. But I was too impatient and was itching to do my thing. Besides this is an easy cake to make. I got this recipe from Thida Bevington a very talented cake maker. She’s amazing. I did tweak the recipe (as I almost always do). I used more carrots and less sugar, I find that the amount of sugar used in cakes is way too much and they become sickly sweet, in this instance, and carrots are quite sweet by themselves. I used 2 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 brown and 1 white instead of 3 cups of white sugar. (White sugar is way sweeter than brown.) But if I was making it for my family I would only use two cups of sugar one white one brown. I also added 1 cup of walnuts, what's a carrot cake without nuts? I have to say I do love a good carrot cake and I have made quite a few over the years and this is a damn good one.
As most of you know, when I make a birthday cake I usually know the person really well and I choose the cake I make as I feel it represents the person I make it for (If you’re new to Nava’s kitchen, just check out the cakes under the topic ‘cakes' - where else?). From having met Nicole several times and from what Anat tells me, I think the carrot cake is a good choice. She is sweet but not sickly sweet, generous, hence tons of nuts, down to earth, fit, strong and healthy just like carrots. Finally, the thick and delicious cream cheese frosting I chose to put between the cake is solid and binds the cakes nicely together just like the friendship that binds Nicole and Anat. The flowers I picked to decorate are my favourite (do not eat them!), Frangipanis (which I later found out when Nicole texted to say thanks) are her favourite. Happy birthday Nicole!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour (375g)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (you can use more or less according to your taste)
6 eggs
375mls oil
10 medium-large carrots finely grated (original recipe calls for 6 carrots)
1 cup broken walnuts (if it's too much for you, use according to your taste)
Cream Cheese Frosting
300g butter soft and at room temperature
450g full fat cream cheese at room temperature
100-120g icing sugar (just taste as you go along)
Method
Preheat the oven to 170c.
Line the base and sides of a 22cm cake tin with baking paper.
The original recipe calls for 2 x 20cm tin cakes, I prefer to make one and cut it in half.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs and oil together in another bowl until combined.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add grated carrots and stir gently to combine.
Add 3/4 cup broken nuts.
Pour the batter into the cake tin. Bake for approx 55 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a bowl until well combined.
Add the icing sugar a little at a time, tasting as you goSpread half the cream cheese frosting on the bottom half of cake and remainder on top.
Sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
Love,
Nava
PS - I love hearing from you! Let me know how it went and feel free to spread the word/passion/love, the more the merrier!