Dangling a Carrot

It’s a perennial favourite, carrot cake.  For some, it’s the best cake there is.

Gluten Free Chestnut Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

And a good carrot cake is definitely worth craving.

I have one of those cravings recently, which led to some twists and turns on my go-to easy mix one bowl carrot cake recipe with some delicious results.

I don’t do oil in my carrot cakes these days, it’s ok but I don’t like the mouthfeel… I prefer melted butter much more.  Still, I’ve never used a fruity olive oil in it, and I think that would be worth a try.

I used to work at Zarbo delicatessen in Newmarket, Auckland from whence this carrot cake recipe came.  It’s very versatile, you can add sultanas or crushed pineapple or white chocolate chips if you like, but the simple spice and walnut combo works fine for me!

One thing that is really wonderful is to use in this carrot cake is purple heirloom carrots.  They are a little sweeter than their orange cousins, and have an amazing confetti like purple colour in the baked cake. So if you have some, give it a try – or mix two colours of carrots! So pretty.

Purple Heirloom Carrot Cake

Another thing that you can do with this recipe is to substitute the flour outs and replace it with chestnut flour for a completely delicious gluten free carrot cake.

A slice of Gluten Free Chestnut Carrot Cake coming up!

Vary your sugar too… From pale brown sugar to muscovado, depending on how much caramel flavour you (or your family and friends) like.

A word about frosting. Cream cheese is mandatory, and easy on the icing sugar! Never use lite cream cheese – it seems to “melt” on contact with icing sugar, meaning you have to use far more sugar than you wanted to make your frosting nice and thick. I add a touch of sour cream to my frosting… It makes it divinely smooth. For total decadence, a dash of lemon curd or melted white chocolate will make a frosting that will make grown men cry.

One bowl Carrot Cake

ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups melted butter (or, if you prefer, sunflower oil)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (or for delicious gluten free cake, substitute chestnut flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp mixed spice
1 cup chopped walnuts (or white chocolate chips, or sultanas)
3 cups grated carrot (try purple heirloom carrots!)

mixing

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until just combined. Spoon mixture into a lined 21cm round cake pan or a 12cm by 25cm bar pan and smooth the top. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour 20 minutes. Let sit in tin 15 minutes before turning out.

Alternatively, spoon into two 12 hole muffin tins lined with cupcake cases greased with non stick spray and bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

When cold, frost thickly with cream cheese frosting, and decorate with chopped apricots, walnuts, pepitas, flakes of coconut etc if desired.

Mixing is as simple as this!

All Mixed Up

Cream Cheese Frosting

ingredients

250g cream cheese (very soft)
90g unsalted butter (very soft) (or substitute melted white chocolate)
175g icing sugar
10g sour cream (or substitute lemon curd if desired)
1tsp vanilla
zest of 1/2 a lemon

mixing

beat butter and cream cheese until very smooth, beat in icing sugar; beat about 4 minutes. Beat in sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest.

If using white chocolate in place of the butter, beat the cream cheese on its own and mix the chocolate in after adding the icing sugar.

If using lemon curd, you can beat it in or swirl it through right at the end.

enjoyxxx

So Delicious… So wholesome…

Heirloom Carrot Cake… Ready to be peeled!