Quite surprisingly, Autumn has arrived timeously this year! Usually, Summer lingers around well into March and in recent years, even into April – and even though temperature have not dipped low enough for us to get swaddled up in our seasonal woollies, it has dropped low enough to have me reaching out for the baking ingredients to whip up something indulgent to go with my afternoon cuppa.
There’s something about Carrot cake that makes me think of Autumn. Perhaps its the deep, golden terracotta tone of the cake that’s synonymous with this season; or maybe it’s the spicy aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the kitchen that induces a sense of much needed warmth to match the season – Either way, Carrot cake and Autumn; to me anyway; goes hand in hand!
What’s the key elements required for a good old fashioned Carrot cake? For me, the cake has to be nice and moist, accompanied by a hint of spice, and then smothered in cream cheese icing to balance out the flavours. Here I’m sharing my trusted old recipe that’s super quick and easy to make while ticking all the relevant boxes!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I use the darkest one)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (can also use a combination of mixed spice and ginger)
- 4 medium carrots, grated
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 3/4 oil
- 1 cup chopped pecan nuts or raisins (optional)
*People often use pineapple in place of raisins and I’m keen to try adding some syrup stem ginger, which I think can work quite well with the combination of flavours
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Beat eggs and sugar until thick, double in volume and pale and fluffy.
- Add cinnamon, bicarb, carrots and oil, and mix until combined
- Fold in sifted flour and nuts/raisins.
- Pour into a greased pan – I used a bundt pan on this occasion and bake for approximately 50 minutes.
CREAM CHEESE ICING
- 100 grams butter
- 125 grams cream cheese
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1tsp vanilla essence or lemon juice
Beat all ingredients together, making sure not to over beat as mixture will turn runny, and then spread evenly over cake.
*Disclaimer: I was lazy on the day I made this cake, and opted for ready made cream cheese icing by Pillsbury
Thanks for reading!
Peace,
NAMU 🙂