American Carrot Cake

Last weekend I also made a carrot cake. I had been craving carrot cake for a couple of weeks and I had a piece of Starbucks carrot cake but that just wasn't very good! This was much moister and tastier. I substituted pecan nuts for walnuts and that worked just as well. I couldn't find walnuts anywhere last weekend! I also halved the recipe and the icing and just made a one layer cake.



American Carrot Cake (adapted from Leiths Baking Bible)
Makes a 2 layer 20cm/8in cake

250ml vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
225g soft light brown sugar
140g carrots, peeled and finely grated
225g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
140g chopped walnuts for the icing
45g unsalted butter, softened
170g cream cheese
200g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
lemon juice to taste

Heat the oven to 180C. Line two sandwich tins with baking parchment.

In a bowl stir together the oil, eggs, sugar and carrots. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger into the bowl. Fold the two mixtures together and then fold in the walnuts.

Divide between 2 tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 mins or until the cakes spring back when pressed lightly in the centre. Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins in the tin, then turn out and cool completely.

To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Sift the icing sugar over the top and stir in. Flavour with vanilla and lemon juice. Use the icing to fill the cake and ice the top.