My Best Carrot Cake Recipe
A moist, spiced carrot cake with crushed pineapple, toasted pecans, raisins and cream cheese frosting.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan nuts toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup or 200gms densely packed dark brown sugar such as demerara or muscovado
- ½ cup or 100gms white granulated sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 1 cup or 250ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence optional
- 1 cup or 250ml crushed pineapple drained from tin 432gm tin/net weight 281gm
- 2 cups or 500ml grated carrots half finely grated and half coarsely
- ½ cup raisins or sultanas presoaked in boiling water and then drained
- 2 1/2 cups or 312gm cups cake or all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarb baking soda
Cream cheese frosting:
- 200 grams butter at room temperature
- 350 grams icing sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 230 - 250 grams cream cheese a solid kind
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 150C/300F and spread the pecan nuts on a baking tray. Roast for 7 – 8 minutes until toasted. Allow to cool.
- Turn the oven up to 180C/350F and line 2 x 23cm (9inch) springform cake tins with baking paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the two sugars with the eggs, until fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well combined.
- Fold through the drained crushed pineapple, grated carrots, presoaked, and drained raisins until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients twice and then fold this through the wet cake batter until well incorporated.
- Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. The cake is done when a sharp knife is inserted into the middle and comes out clean. Loosely cover the cakes with tin foil for about 25 minutes if necessary and to prevent over-browning.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on a cooling rack. They should be completely cool before icing/frosting them.
To make the frosting:
- It’s very important to prevent the cream cheese from splitting or becoming too runny that you only add it right at the end and do not over mix it.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, milk, and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 4 – 5 minutes. At this point you cannot overmix the frosting and beat it for a longer time makes it softer and more fluffy.
- Add the chilled cream cheese and mix very briefly and only until it is incorporated and smooth.
Notes
A moist, spiced carrot cake made with dark brown sugar, crushed pineapple, toasted pecans and raisins, topped with a generous cream cheese frosting. Tested against dozens of recipes and perfected.
Grate the carrots yourself, half fine and half coarse, for the best texture and moisture.
Toast the pecans at 150°C (300°F) for 7 to 8 minutes before adding them. This transforms the flavour.
Soak the raisins in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain before adding to the batter.
Use block-style cream cheese for the frosting, not spreadable. Spreadable cream cheese is too soft and will not hold.
For baking, use weighted measurements for the flour. Cups are fine for wet ingredients but not reliable for dry.
Storage: Keep the frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Reheating: This cake is best served at room temperature, not warmed.
Freezing: Wrap unfrosted cake layers tightly in cling film and freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature, still wrapped, and frost once fully thawed. The frosted cake can also be frozen whole for up to one month. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Servings: 12