Who doesn’t like an indulgent slice of classic carrot cake with a rich cream cheese frosting?
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnut halves
- 2½ cups self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups raw sugar
- 5 eggs, beaten lightly
- 1¼ cups vegetable oil
- 4 cups coarsely grated carrot
- ½ cup well-drained crushed pineapple
- Fresh, unsprayed flowers, extra walnuts and lemon rind, to serve
For cream cheese frosting
- 185 g unsalted butter
- 185 g cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2¼ cups icing sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
Steps
Preheat the oven to 170 C. Grease a 25-cm square cake pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
Spread nuts on an oven tray. Bake for about 7 mins or until fragrant and browned lightly. Chop nuts coarsely.
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, eggs and oil, then the carrot, pineapple and walnuts until well combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 to 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.
To prepare cream cheese frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a small bowl with an electric mixer for about 3 mins, or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar, then rind, until well combined.
Photos from Pixabay