Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Two moist, spiced layers packed with carrot and toasted walnuts, sandwiched and coated in cream cheese frosting.
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Method
- 1
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan) for at least 20 minutes before baking, with a shelf in the middle. These shallow sponge layers bake quickly, so they need the oven already at full temperature to rise evenly from the start.
- 2
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl. Combining the raising agents and spices evenly now avoids pockets of bicarbonate or spice once everything else is folded in.
- 3
Whisk eggs, sugar and oil. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with both sugars for about a minute until smooth, then whisk in the oil in a steady stream and the vanilla, until the mixture looks emulsified and slightly thickened. Using oil rather than butter keeps carrot cake moist for days, since it stays liquid at room temperature while butter would firm up and dry the crumb out.
- 4
Combine and fold in carrot. Stir the dry mix into the egg mixture just until no flour streaks remain, then fold in the grated carrots and toasted walnuts. Folding these in last stops the carrot's moisture from being overworked into the flour, which would make the crumb gluey.
- 5
Divide and bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two tins and bake for 35-40 minutes, until well risen, deep golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Rely on the skewer rather than colour, since flecks of carrot can make the surface look done before the centre has actually set.
- 6
Cool completely. Leave the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. Frosting a still-warm cake melts the butter in the frosting, turning it into a thin, slipping mess rather than a smooth coating.
- 7
Make the frosting. Beat the butter on its own until smooth, add the cream cheese and beat just until combined, then mix in the icing sugar, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth. Overbeating cream cheese at this stage breaks down its structure and turns the frosting runny, so stop as soon as everything is combined; chill for 15 minutes if it still feels soft.
- 8
Assemble the cake. Sandwich the two cooled layers together with a third of the frosting, then spread the rest over the top, leaving the sides bare or only thinly coated. Keep the finished cake in the fridge, and bring it back to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens.
Storage
Store the frosted cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days, as the cream cheese frosting isn't stable at room temperature for long. Unfrosted sponge layers freeze well, wrapped tightly, for up to 2 months; thaw fully before frosting.
Equipment
- two 20 cm round cake tins (5 cm deep), greased and base-lined
- box grater or food processor
- 2 large bowls and a whisk
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- wire racks
- palette knife
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 716 kcal |
| Protein | 8.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 71.3 g |
| of which sugars | 48.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 45.2 g |
| Fat | 45.7 g |
| of which saturates | 12.3 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g |
| Salt | 1 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
