Pete's Famous Carrot Cake

Name: Pete's Famous Carrot Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 cups of plain flour; 2 teaspoons of bicarb soda; 2 teaspoons of baking powder; 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon of salt; 2 cups of castor sugar; 1 cup of chopped walnuts (plus extra for decorating); 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil; 4 eggs; 3 cups of peeled then grated carrot; 1/2 cup (113g) of unsalted butter, softened; 225g of softened (brick style, not spreadable) cream cheese; 1 teaspoon of vanila extract; 1/4 teaspoon of salt; 4 cups (500g) of powdered icing sugar

Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

2 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons of bicarb soda
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of castor sugar
1 cup of chopped walnuts (plus extra for decorating)
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups of peeled then grated carrot

Cream Cheese Icing:

1/2 cup (113g) of unsalted butter, softened
225g of softened (brick style, not spreadable) cream cheese
1 teaspoon of vanila extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 cups (500g) of powdered icing sugar

Say hello to Pete's Famous Carrot Cake!

Here at Matchbox, we love our fair share sweets that you can enjoy all year long. In this recipe, Matchbox team member Pete shares with us his deliciously addictive carrot cake recipe.

Topped with a delicious cream cheese icing, Pete's carrot cake is sure to become a go-to for your special occasions (and yes, afternoon tea is a special occasion too!)

Method

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius, and line over a 23cm cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, bicarb soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the sugar and chopped walnuts and stir to combine.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk the oil and eggs until well combined, then stir in the grated carrot.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to form a smooth batter.
Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60-80 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Place cake on a cooling rack and cool until completely cold (we know it's hard to wait, but it's worth it we promise!).
While the cake cooks, it's time to make the cream cheese icing!
Start by softening your butter and cream cheese in the microwave (it should take roughly 30-40 seconds).
In a stand mixer, or using a bowl and electric hand whisk, beat the butter and cream cheese on high until creamy, well-combined and lump-free.
Add vanilla extract, and salt and mix on low to combine.
With the mixer set on low, gradually add the icing sugar until completely combined.
Once your cake is cool, using a spatula coat the top and sides of your cake with the cream cheese icing then decorate with some extra walnuts. Yum, enjoy!

Article via Cream Cheese Icing Recipe by Sugar Spun Run, Carrot Cake Recipe by Matchbox Team Member Pete!

FAQs

I don't have a 23cm cake tin, what should I use?

If you don't have a cake tin that is exactly 23cm you can definitely work around this with different sizes. If your cake tin is a bit larger, it will just be a slightly thinner cake and may take a few less minutes to cook. If your cake pan or tin is smaller, your cake will be thicker and may not cook all the way through. Key point? Using a different sized tin is fine, but we recommend going larger rather than smaller.

Do I have to use vegetable oil?

There is room for flexibility in terms of which oil to use in cake batter. However, when it comes to best oils for baking cake, especially this carrot cake, we recommend using oils lighter in flavour (such as vegetable or sunflower oil), as olive oil or other alternatives may be too overpowering.