My sister hands down makes the best carrot cake. And so when she doesn’t bring me cake, I am forced, rather begrudgingly, to make my own.
In spite of the fact that you do see many bakes on the blog, I am not a huge fan of baking. The science of it tires me BUT my mum is a sweet tooth and once in a while I do like to indulge as well.
This was my carrot loaf. I used lots of walnuts in the recipe and I had a simple cream cheese and walnut topping. The crumb on the loaf was little so it was like a cross between a cake and bread. Perfect for teatime or ‘Fika’ as my Swedes call it.
Makes 1 loaf
250 grams cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup castor sugar
250ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 carrots – grated
125 grams crushed walnuts
Frosting
30 grams cream cheese – softened
30 grams cup unsalted butter (softened)
150 grams cup powdered sugar
1 tsp double cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 180°C
Grease and flour your loaf tin or use baking parchment to line it if you have some.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until combined. Then, add in the oil and vanilla and mix again.
Gradually fold in the dry ingredients using a spatula. Then, add the carrots and walnuts. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To check for doneness, insert a toothpick at the centre of the cake after 45 minutes and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Cool for 10 minutes and then put the cake on a rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, mix all of the ingredients together using a mixer. ( You can add extra cream or milk if you want a thinner icing) Frost the cooled loaf and top with some walnuts.