Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
I was given this about 20 years ago, baked by a cookery teacher friend. I've never dared change it, it's been such an absolute family favourite, always gorgeous, never lets you down. We particularly love the frosting, which uses a little brown sugar instead of icing sugar, giving a more subtle flavour. Some like the pineapple pieces and nuts, others don't: they affect texture rather than taste so use as preferred.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
- 150ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- 25ml pineapple juice from...
- 150g pineapples small chunks, tinned or fresh (optional)
- 250g light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 2 grated medium carrots
- 75g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 250g plain flour (wholemeal can be used)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon each vanilla extract, baking powder & cinnamon
- 75g roughly chopped nuts to decorate - walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Cream cheese icing
- 225g cream cheese
- 50g softened butter
- 50g light brown sugar
- a few drops vanilla extract
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:40min ›
Ready in:1hr
- Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180 C / Gas 4. Prepare two 9"sandwich tins.
- Mix the oil, pineapple juice and sugar until smooth, then beat in the eggs. (If using an electric blender, mix the rest manually: quick but gentle seems to be the secret of this cake.)
- Add the vanilla, coconut and carrot (and pineapple chunks if using). Finally add the flour, cinnamon, salt & baking powder.
- Divide the mixture between the two tins & bake for 40 minutes - or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- For the frosting: beat the 4 ingredients together until thoroughly blended, light and fluffy.
- There should be enough frosting to sandwich the cakes together and add a layer as topping. decorate with pecans or walnuts as desired.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(3)
Reviews in English (5)
Altered ingredient amounts. Sorry - I misread my own scribbly handwriting... Flour should be 250g, not 200g. - 14 Feb 2009
Absolutely useless. The cream cheese frosting mixture split as soon as I mixed it up. I'd made double and had to throw the entire thing away. - 10 Apr 2012
Fabulous! We loved this carrot cake! We added the pineapple chunks and walnuts as that adds to the texture and the flavour! Great flavour topping too! Would recommend this to anyone. Delicious and easy to make. - 29 Nov 2010