Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour (maida)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 200 g light brown sugar or caster sugar
• 200 ml neutral oil (sunflower or corn)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 300 g carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 80 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 60 g raisins or sultanas
• 200 g cream cheese, cold
• 80 g unsalted butter, softened
• 200 g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla essence, for the frosting

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (160°C fan). Grease two 20 cm round tins and line the bases with baking paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until slightly thick and pale. Pour in the oil and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined, with no dry flour left. Do not overmix.
5. Fold in the grated carrots, walnuts and raisins. The batter will be loose and wet.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and level the tops. Bake on the middle rack until the cakes are golden, spring back when pressed, and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely, about 1 hour, or the frosting will melt.
8. For the frosting, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute until creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth and pale.
9. Add the cold cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat briefly, just until combined and thick; overbeating makes it runny. Chill for 15 minutes if it feels soft.
10. Spread a third of the frosting over one cake layer, set the second layer on top, then cover the top with the remaining frosting. Decorate with extra chopped walnuts if you like, and slice with a warm knife.

Tips

• Grate the carrots on the fine side of the grater so they melt into the crumb and keep the cake moist.
• Use cold cream cheese straight from the fridge and mix only briefly, or the frosting turns loose.
• Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 3 minutes for a deeper flavour, then cool before folding in.
• Ovens vary, so check the cakes at 30 minutes and cover loosely with foil if the tops brown too fast.