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Carrot cake is a moist and flavorful dessert made with grated carrots, often combined with ingredients like raisins and warm spices such as cinnamon. It’s typically finished with a creamy layer of cream cheese frosting, adding a delightful balance of sweetness and tanginess.
What is Carrot Cake?
Carrot cake is believed to have originated from England, but like most foods that are loved, South Africans have adopted this cake as one that is loved and known to be one of the choices of bakes at tea parties and meetings.
FUN FACT: Carrots were originally used to sweeten confectionaries back in the day!
Carrot Cake
A moist and flavorful dessert made with grated carrots.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup treacle sugar
- 1 cup fullcream milk
- 1½ cup self-rising flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon mixed spice
- 1½ carrots (gratedcarrots)
- freshly squeezed orange juice
For the Icing
- 150g unsalted butter
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 230g cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, mix the canola oil and vanilla essence, and mix well.2 eggs, ½ cup canola oil
- Add the treacle and brown sugar into the egg mixture and whisk until well mixed; follow with the milk and set aside.½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup treacle sugar, 1 cup fullcream milk
- Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the spices and mix.1½ cup self-rising flour
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix; once well mixed with no lumps, add the grated carrots and mix.1½ carrots (gratedcarrots), 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Line a 30cm baking pan with a baking sheet or butter well to avoid having the cake stick to the pan. Once done, pour the batter into the baking dish, adding it in three equal pours to ensure you get three layers of cake.150g unsalted butter
- Place the cake into the oven and make it for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. (if you have one pan like me, you will need to repeat this process three times, but if you have three pans, you can have one go at it)
While the cake/cakes are baking in the oven, we will head over to make the frosting.
- Place the butter in a medium-sized bowl and whisk for a few minutes, until it starts to look fluff (about 3-4 minutes).
- Sift the icing sugar into the butter, whisk until it's well incorporated, and then add the vanilla essence and cream cheese. Whisk until well mixed and set aside.100g icing sugar
- As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, drizzle some orange juice over them; this will add to the flavor and fluffy texture of the cake.freshly squeezed orange juice
- Assemble the cake by layering the cake, followed by frosting all the way to the top.
- Serve with a cup of coffee, and ENJOY!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
