Carrot Cake

I love carrot cake but have never made one before. I'd always thought it was tedious and didn't want to spend a lifetime grating carrots!

After daydreaming about carrot cake for almost an entire week, I started researching different recipes...there are sooo many to choose from!! Then I remembered my trusted Hummingbird Bakery recipe book, they have a perfect recipe in there and it's straightforward, result!

This is a triple layered, moist, carrot cake which tastes utterly amazing! The fact it contains carrots and walnuts means it's healthy, right??! Well, that's what I'm telling myself as I've consumed over half all to myself!!

You will need three 20cm cake tins (lined with greasproof paper).

Ingredients:

• 300g soft light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 300ml sunflower oil
• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (plus extra for decorating)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g carrots, grated
• 100g shelled walnuts, chopped (plus extra for decorating)

Cream cheese frosting:

• 600g icing sugar, sifting
• 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 250g cream cheese, cold

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F.

Mix the sugar, eggs and oil together in a food processor ensuring they are well incorporated. 

Gradually add the flour a little at a time, then add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger. cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well.

Then stire in the carrots and walnuts by hand. Once evenly distributed you will need to divide the mixture evenly between the 3 cake tins.

Bake in the oven for 20/25 minutes. The sponge should be golden and springs back once touched. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the cream cheese frosting, put the icing sugar and butter in a food processor until smooth. Then add the cream cheese and mix. 

Once the cakes have cooled, put one on a plate/cake board and spread 1/3 of the cream cheese frosting. Ensure it is evenly spread or the cake will be wonky! Put the second cake on top and spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Then place the final cake on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Then decorate with some cinnamon and chopped walnuts.