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Carrot and Walnut Cake with cheese frosting and chopped walnuts on top on a wooden board

Carrot and Walnut Cake

Safira
This Carrot and Walnut Cake is flavoured with the most delicious, warming and aromatic Chai spices.  It is flavour packed, moist and simple to make.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Baking, Baking/Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 513 kcal

Ingredients
  

Carrot Cake

  • 3 Eggs
  • 210 g Vegetable Oil
  • 240 g Plain Flour
  • 250 g Light Brown Sugar
  • ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
  • ½ tsp Ground Clove
  • ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 270 g Carrots Peeled and coarsely grated
  • 120 g Walnuts Chopped

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 60 g Butter At room temperature
  • 200 g Cream Cheese At room temperature
  • 120 g Icicng Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Corn Flour
  • ⅔ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
  • ½ Lemon Zest only

Topping

  • Handful Walnuts chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C/Gas Mark 4.
  • Line the bottom of 2 x 18cm round cake tins with baking paper.
  • Whisk the Eggs and Oil together in a stand mixer or by hand until they have come together.
  • Seive over the Plain Flour and add the Sugar, Bicarbonate of Soda Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Clove and Nutmeg.
  • Stir in the Carrots and Walnuts.
  • Pour the batter into the two prepared tins.
  • Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. This may take longer. Check every 5 minutes from the 50 minute mark with a skewer. If there is any wet batter, place back into the oven.
  • Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cakes to a wired cooling rack.
  • To make the icing - Beat Butter until soft. Add Cream Cheese and beat till soft. Sieve over the Icing Sugar, add the Corn Flour, Zest and Spices and beat together until smooth and combined.
  • To assemble - Place one of the cakes on a plate/board.
  • Let the cake cool fully before adding icing.
  • Spread 1/2 of the icing on top.
  • Place the second cake on top of the first with the flat bottom facing up. Sprinkle over walnuts. 

Notes

Tips to make the BEST Carrot and Walnut Cake

If possible, grate the carrots yourself. It is tempting to buy grated carrots but the results are better with fresh carrots.
You can do this in a blender or use a box grater or course microplane to shred the carrots to a course texture.

VARIATIONS

Self Raising Flour

You can absolutely use SRF in place of Plain Flour here. If you do, omit the Baking Powder.

Oil

You can use a light Olive Oil or any flavourless Oil here. 

Walnuts

You can quickly pre toast the Walnuts in a dry pan beforehand.

Spices

I love Chai spices and use the quantities I like. Feel free to add more or less of each spice. A little Black Pepper works well too.

How to store Chai Carrot Cake

The cake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Wrap in a layer of cling film and keep in an airtight container, ice before serving.
The Icing can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature until soft enough to spread.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze

Wrap un iced cake in 2 layers of cling film and 1 layer of foil for up to 3 months.
To defrost, unwrap and place on a wire rack at room temperature for 4-5 hours. Top with icing before serving.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 10gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 364mgPotassium: 339mgFiber: 4gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 6256IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 165mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Carrot and Walnut Cake, Chai Carrot Cake
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