I just love eating carrot cake and this is a cake that is frequently made at home.
As one of my children has a nut-allergy, I’ve played around with ingredients to create a carrot cake recipe that all of the family can share and eat. So I’ve removed those infamous nuts but kept a little bite to it with the addition of wholesome sunflower seeds. I also like to add cranberries, instead of the more commonly used raisins, as they have a lighter flavour and a taste of sharpness. The cranberries complement the clementine and Greek yoghurt in the frosting too, altogether creating a balanced flavour combination.
You’ll find this is a simple recipe, that’s easy to prepare and only requires a little muscle power to grate the carrots. I think it’s a great all-season, year-round cake, that can be tweaked to suit your taste or the season: a little extra spice or extra citrus zest.
I do especially love eating this cake on chilly, grey January days. The spices and the depth of flavour make it a wonderfully comforting and nourishing food for the darker, colder months. I serve up a slice with a large cup of tea, sit back in a cosy chair and savour!! Xx
Ingredients
Cake:
3 organic free-range eggs
300ml sunflower oil
275g light muscovado sugar
300g plain organic flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
300g grated organic carrots
45g organic sunflower seeds
75g dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
180g organic butter, room temperature
360g icing sugar
2 tablespoon plain Greek yoghurt
Zest from 1 clementine
Makes 6” layer cake (4-5” tall)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180degC and line 2 tall 6” cake tins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
Into another bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet batter, in 2 batches. Stir until everything is just combined. Add the grated carrots, cranberries and sunflower seeds. Gently stir again.
Divide the batter between the 2 lined pans and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until completely cooked. Use a cake skewer, if it comes out clean after being inserted into the centre of the cake – it is cooked through. Allow the cakes to completely cool before icing.
To prepare the frosting, beat together the butter with the icing sugar on a high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in the greek yoghurt and clementine zest, ensuring the ingredients are well combined.
To ice the cake, cut the 2 cake layers in half. Place the lowest half on a cake stand or dessert plate. Add a layer of frosting and place the next layer on top. Repeat until you have iced all 4 layers. Add decorations, whatever you wish: a dusting of cinnamon, a sprinkle of seeds or a few fresh flowers.
This layer cake will keep for up to 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container.
Enjoy! Xx