Name: Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Brand: elizabethskitchendiary.co.uk
SKU: elizabethskitchendiary-co-uk-1
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

preview

Jump to RecipePrint RecipeThis light and fluffy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe is delicious, straightforward to make and keeps fresh for five days in the refrigerator. It has become a firm favourite with my walking tour guests at the Aald Harbour Hoose in Lerwick, Shetland (What? Where? Walking tour guests?! to learn more!).This recipe is adapted from the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting found in (2014) by Jane Hornby.Prep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 35 minutesDifficulty:Dearest reader,I am back! Have you missed me?This super easy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe is my first recipe post this year and the first one I have exquisitely enjoyed making, photographing and writing for you in over three.Life got busy. Silly busy.A lot has happened: a pandemic, Brexit, a cost of living crisis and I’ve changed jobs and homes a few times.A lot is still happening; every day is an adventure, and I am treasuring every moment of it. I’m always busy doing something, with many fingers in many pies…What, you might ask?, and all will be revealed!From now on, all personal anecdotes will be shared in my newsletter only to keep my website content evergreen. I’ve got a few interesting stories to share with you, too!In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe. A huge thank you to all my walking tour guests who encouraged me to start blogging again. xCarrots are a naturally sweet vegetable, and they’re plentiful and less expensive than sugar. This makes them a perfect addition to a cake.The historical origins of the use of carrots in a cake are disputed. In Europe, carrots were used in puddings from the Middle Ages, around the same time that the orange carrot, as we know it (did you know carrots were originally purple?), was cultivated in Holland.One of the earliest carrot pudding recipes dates back to sixteenth-century England:During WW2, carrot cake gained popularity in England after , helping people to see during blackout periods. Sugar was rationed to 8 ozs weekly, so carrots became an alternative sweetener.The Food Ministry also suggested, after a German blockade of food supply ships made resources such as sugar, bacon and butter unavailable, that the war could be won on the “Kitchen Front” if people changed what they&nbsp;ate and how they prepared it.In 1941, Lord Woolton, the Minister of Food, emphasized the call for self-sustainability in the garden:This sentiment is relevant even now, during the current cost of living crisis.Enough about the history of carrots, though; you’re here for a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe!The following carousel contains affiliate equipment and ingredient links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.&nbsp;Visit my for quick links to my favourite kitchen equipment and recipe ingredients.Swipe to see how easy it is to make a light and fluffy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.Visit my Amazon Storefront for ingredients and equipment links.Step one: Sift together plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and salt.Equipment: mixing bowl, sieve Step two: stir together dry ingredients and add the zest of one orange. Squeeze juice into bowl. Equipment: citrus zester, wooden spoon, small bowlStep three: grate your carrots. Measure vegetable oil into a measuring jug, add the eggs and 2 tbsp orange juice. Equipment: measuring jug, box grater Step four: finely chop your walnuts, reserving a little to sprinkle on the top of the finished cake. Equipment: knife Step five: combine the liquid and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.. Equipment: mixing bowl, wooden spoon Step six: add the grated carrots, raisins and most of the walnuts.Equipment mixing bowl, wooden spoon Step six: mix until just combined.Equipment mixing bowl, wooden spoon Step eight: divide batter between two 8-inch tins that have been lined with non-stick parchment paper.Equipment 8-inch springform cake tin, non-stick baking paper, electronic scales Step nine: bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 35 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.Equipment cooling rack Step ten: cream very soft butter until extremely light.Equipment electric hand mixer, mixing bowl Step eleven: gently stir in cold cream cheese.Equipment spatula, mixing bowl Step twelve: add the vanilla and sieve in the icing sugar. Equipment: sieve, mixing bowl, measuring spoons, spatula Step thirteen: fold together until smooth. Unlike this image, which is lumpy, because I rushed it. Equipment: spatula Step fourteen: sandwich cakes with frosting on a cake stand and sprinkle with the remaining walnuts. Equipment: cake stand.I do not know yet. In theory, yes.I am going to try different flours and see which one works best. I often have gluten-free guests, so it would be nice to have this option for them.Watch this space!Some recipes call for both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. These recipes often contain some acid as an ingredient (i.e., yoghurt, brown sugar, vegetables or fruit); however,&nbsp;the carbon dioxide created from the acid and baking soda is not enough to leaven the volume of batter in the recipe. Baking powder is used to add the necessary lift.Sometimes, you need a little bit more leavening than you have acid available in a bake.Baking powder and bicarbonate both affect the browning and flavour of the bake.Carrots contain pigments which are very sensitive to changes in pH balance. They will change from orange to green in environments that are too acidic or alkaline.The alkaline nature of the bicarbonate of soda will turn carrots green if it comes into contact with them.Either too much baking soda was used in the recipe, or it was not evenly distributed in the cake batter.If you’d used this recipe to make your carrot cake, which contains the perfect ratio of leavening agents, your carrots should not have turned green. If they did, try sifting the dry ingredients first next time.The carrot cake is still safe to eat; the green tint will not affect the flavour.Note: walnuts will turn blue/purple in the same chemical process.The top of the cake will be golden and springy to the touch. There will be no wobble in the middle.To ensure my cake is fully cooked, I rely on a digital thermometer to measure the internal temperature. Generally, when the thermometer reads 98° C, I know my cake is ready.I use a One, which acts as a thermometer and cake tester with its metal skewer.Alternatively, use a spaghetti stick or bamboo skewer to check if your cake is finished. Insert it into the centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean, it’s cooked.This carrot cake with cream cheese frosting will keep for a good five days in the refrigerator.If you serve it as part of a packed lunch for walking tour guests, as I do at the Aald Harbour Hoose, the icing will have softened again when your hikers have sat down for their break.This cake has had rave reviews from my guests, and I hope you enjoy it, too!As always, everything tastes better in the outdoors. I hope you use this recipe to xRequires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.No ratings yetPrintPinRateMetric – US Cup MeasuresThis recipe card may contain affiliate ingredient and equipment links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.1 8-inch round cake tin1 mixing bowl1 sieve1 wooden spoon1 citrus zester1 measuring spoons1 knife1 rubber spatula1 hand mixer1 cake stand 1 glass dome 1 storage tinWelcome to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, Scotland’s most northerly award-winning food blog. Based in the wild and remote Shetland Islands, I’ve been sharing my adventure-fuelling recipes since 2011.

Jump to RecipePrint RecipeThis light and fluffy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting recipe is delicious, straightforward to make and keeps fresh for five days in the refrigerator. It has become a firm favourite with my walking tour guests at the Aald Harbour Hoose in Lerwick, Shetland (What? Where? Walking tour guests?! to learn more!).This recipe is adapted from the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting found in (2014) by Jane Hornby.Prep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 35 minutesDifficulty:Dearest reader,I am back! Have you missed me?This super easy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting...

Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS