This carrot cake is full of warm, spicy flavours, perfect for fall. It’s basically a hug in cake form. The crushed pecan bits add subtle hints of toasty bitterness, and the orange brings with it the needed brightness and freshness.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 140 ml sunflower oil
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 50 g dark muscavado sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 140 g grated carrots
- 20 g pecans, chopped
- 20 g raisins
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 100 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 50 g powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 20 ml whipping cream
- 10 g coarsely chopped pecans, for topping cake
Method:
- Grease and line a rectangular baking pan. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a larger bowl, add the oil, eggs, orange zest and sugars and whisk well until combined. Add in the vanilla.
- Add the flour into the wet ingredients and fold together.
- Then fold in the carrots, pecans and raisins.
- Bake for 30-33 minutes.
- Let cake cool completely. Meanwhile prepare the frosting.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the sugar, a little at a time. Then add in the cream and orange zest and beat for another minute.
- Spread on top of cooled cake and top with chopped pecans.