CARROT CAKE
Serves 10
INGREDIENTS
150 g plain flour
¾ teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of salt
150 g raw sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup +1 teaspoon olive oil
110 g carrots, grated
400 g tin crushed pineapple, drained
30 g crushed walnuts
CREAM CHEESE
250 g cream cheese, softened
90 g butter, soften
1 cup icing sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180°C
Line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper. There is no time to cut corners, this cake is super easy to make, so make sure you don’t skip the lining part, it really does give the cake an even cook.
Sift all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Crack your eggs in, pour in your oil and give it a mix. Add your carrot, pineapple and walnuts, fold it all in. Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and place it in the oven for 40 minutes.
The cake is cooked when you give it a light press and springs back or a skewer comes out cleanly (it is a moist cake so it won’t be super clean like a normal cake).
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! This recipe is taken straight from the back of the Kraft Cream Cheese packet. I’ve kept everything the same, except I’ve amped up the lemon juice (but that’s a personal preference) and I’ve added lemon zest.
Have your cream cheese and butter at room temperature. Blend up using a food processor or mixer.
Add the lemon zest and icing sugar while the beaters are still going, one tablespoon at a time, alternating and slowly adding some fresh lemon juice. I use a lot of lemon but that is purely a personal choice, a tablespoon is a great starting place if you’re not sure.
ASSEMBLY
Place a little dob of cream cheese frosting in the centre of the cake plate/stand. This will ensure the cake does not move while you are putting it together.
Pop down one cake layer onto the plate. Top the first layer with some kumquat jam or marmalade then add the cream cheese on top of the jam.
Frost the second cake layer before placing it on top of the bottom layer. If you put the second layer on before frosting it will move around while you frost it and muck things up.
Add on the second cake layer. Assemble the Chocolate Flower
