oh-best-ever-carrot-cake-010414-de__largeHappy Friday. In honour of #nationalcarrotcakeday we have scoured the internet for the best carrot cake recipe. It is a bit chilly in London this week so this could be the perfect way to warm up your weekend and fill in your stomach.

SERVES:  12
PREP TIME: 40 MINS
COOK TIME:  1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

Ingredients (for the cake)

  • 225 ml (8fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra to grease
  • 225 g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 225 g (8oz) self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1½ tsp each mixed spice, ground cinnamon and ground ginger
  • 150 g (5oz) sultanas
  • 200 g (7oz) carrots, coarsely grated
  • 50-75 g (2-3oz) walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

Ingredients (for the icing)

 

  • 250 g (9oz) unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 400 g (14oz) full-fat
  • Cream cheese (we used Philadelphia) at room temperature
  • 300 g (11oz) icing sugar
  • Carrot decorations, optional, available from larger Sainsbury’s stores (£1.50 for 12)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a round 20.5cm (8in) cake tin with parchment paper. Put the oil, sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth.
  2. Add the flour, soda and spices to the bowl and mix to combine. Stir in the sultanas, carrots and nuts. Scrape mixture into the prepared tin, level and bake for 1hr 5min-1hr 15min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5min in tin, then remove from tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
  3. To make the icing, in a large bowl beat the butter and vanilla until completely smooth, then add the room-temperature cream cheese and mix to combine. Sift over the icing sugar and mix (carefully at first, as otherwise there will be clouds of icing sugar) until smooth and fluffy.
  4.  Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally through the middle. Use half the icing to sandwich the halves back together and place cake on a cake stand/plate. Spread remaining icing over top of the cake and lay on the carrot decorations, if using. Serve in slices.

From Good Housekeeping.