If you're looking for a moist, flavoursome carrot cake, then look no further!
Anyone who is a carrot cake fan always has their own idea about what qualities to look for in the perfect carrot cake. You may like it dense and quite heavy, alternatively, you may be a fan of a light sponge. For some, they care less about the sponge and more about the frosting! I personally really love a moist carrot cake, one full of flavour but with a smooth consistency, I'm not a big fan of lumpy bits in my carrot cake.
The flavour of your cake tends to come from the type of sugar you use and the fat. The more you have in your cake, the more moisture it will retain. It's important to keep the ratio of these right to the other ingredients to make sure the structure of the cake holds up. The last thing you want is a cake that won't set. Unrefined brown sugar is the winning sugar for flavour, especially in a carrot cake. It also helps retain the moisture in the sponge. I always use Billington's because it's unrefined through and through as opposed to some brown sugars which effectively are white sugars but coloured with molasses on the outside. Sunflower oil is the fat in this recipe, is brings a flavour which isn't over powering or pungent, which some darker oils can be.
If you're after a classic carrot cake recipe with a cream cheese frosting, then I highly recommend this recipe. Best served with a pot of freshly brewed tea and friends.
Storage instructions; keep in an airtight container in the fridge once it's frosted for up to 3 days. If you want to bake ahead, make the sponges but don't frost them. You can store these in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. Let it defrost at room temperature and then add your cream cheese frosting.
If you'd like to resize your carrot cake, we've got a useful tool which allows you to scale up or down the recipe to work for your tin size. Click here to find out more.
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4). Grease and line a 20cm (8inch) cake tin with baking parchment.
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Whisk the oil and sugar together, then whisk in the eggs one a time.
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Gently fold in the flour, followed by the carrots. Mix gently until combined, then turn into the prepared tin.
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Bake for 40 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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For the topping, mix together the mascarpone cheese and golden icing sugar. Split your cake in half, sandwich together with half of the mascarpone mixture and spread the remainder on top. Finish with pieces of walnuts.
If you love the taste of carrot cake, why not try something new? This Swiss roll carrot cake is a doddle to make and it's really fun too! Click here for the full recipe
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Reviews
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23 March 2020
5 star rating
Made this last night. Frosted it this morning and ate a slice. It always tastes better the next day- gives the flavours time to infuse, just like banana cake.
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21 March 2020
5 star rating
Fantastic
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19 March 2020
4 star rating
Very tasty
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17 March 2020
5 star rating
Freshly made carrot cake! I don't like lumpy bits in my carrot cake either- love that this recipe doesn't have sultanas etc in it.
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17 March 2020
5 star rating
Freshly made carrot cake! I don't like lumpy bits in my carrot cake either- love that this recipe doesn't have sultanas etc in it.
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16 March 2020
5 star rating
This is just like the one my Grandma used to make! Fond memories, thank you Baking Mad
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29 February 2020
5 star rating
I LOVE this recipe. It’s my go-to. I’ve made a lot of carrot cake recipes over the years from a variety of recipes. This carrot cake recipe is hands-down my favourite fool proof one.
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