Afelia’s Carrot Cake originally came about in 2015 after my son and my sister’s son had done well in their end of year exams and we required a small cake to celebrate. I didn’t fancy baking anything but didn’t want to disappoint the kids so quickly threw this cake together, not expecting much, but the recipe turned out so well that I baked the cake 3 times in that one week! When I think of carrot cake I think of a moist, soft, spongy cake that has been gently seasoned with spices and simply melts in your mouth, this cake certainly ticks all those boxes!

The level of spice one enjoys in a carrot cake varies widely, originally I used to bake this cake using 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and no other spices, this was mainly because my husband and children aren’t keen on the rich spices normally added to a carrot cake, ie. mixed spice, nutmeg and ginger. However, I do think that adding a little of these spices adds delicate layers of flavour to the cake, adding to it’s complexity, which is why I have tweaked the recipe to include a little ground nutmeg and ground ginger, if you’re not keen on these elements just leave them out.

You may also want to add other flavours and textures. Add nuts for texture, walnuts are commonly added to carrot cake. I’ve used one of my favourite nuts, pecans, on the outside, that way anyone who doesn’t like nuts can remove them easily. You may also add orange zest/juice for flavour and raisins/sultanas for texture AND flavour! I have kept the cake fairly simple because my family can be quite fussy when it comes to carrot cake.

Previously I used to bake this cake in a square 8 × 8 inch cake tin for around 35 – 40 minutes on gas mark 4 and it always gave me perfect results, when I recently baked the cake in a round cake tin the results weren’t as consistent! Aaaaargh! It appears to take longer to bake the cake in a round cake tin, I’ve no idea why and can only put this down to a reduced surface area as opposed to a square tin, thus the cake takes longer to bake. So instead of taking 35 – 40 minutes this cake took me over an hour to bake, whenever I inserted a skewer it wasn’t coming out completely clean (which it normally does), this really frustrated me! So to avoid the anguish that I put myself through I would recommend covering the cake with foil for the last 10 – 15 minutes of baking to stop the cake over browning on the outside and help cook the centre through fully. Or just use a square cake tin to begin with, lol! If you do use a square cake tin, 35 – 40 minutes in the oven is long enough. I’m not sure if there is a fault with my oven, but I’d definitely like to know how some of you guys get on if you do decide to bake this cake.

Originally this cake was decorated with buttercream because my boys HATE cream cheese frosting (mad, right?) but I think I have discovered the perfect solution! I’ve replaced the cream cheese with Mascarpone, I know you’re all thinking ‘well that’s just cream cheese!’, trust me, it’s not quite the same! Mascarpone is a double, in some instances triple cream cheese, with a lighter buttery taste than normal cream cheese, it’s also less sour. Being so rich means it doesn’t taste like ordinary cream cheese. Combined with a little butter and icing sugar means you end up with a delicious buttery frosting with a rich velvety smoothness. Perfection, huh?

I’m really hoping that you guys have success with this recipe, it is a very delicious and moist cake (not to mention that it looks like a real show stopper), I want you guys to love this as much as we do! So get your apron on, have your bowl, scales and ingredients at the ready……shall we commence?

Serves 12 – 16 portions

You will need: for Afelia’s Carrot Cake

150g dark brown soft sugar
100ml oil
3 medium eggs
180g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 medium grated carrots (approximately 250g after peeling and grating, reserve some carrot for garnishing)

For decorating:
50g butter
200g icing sugar
250g mascarpone
50g pecans chopped + 16 whole pecans

Method:

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 before starting.

Start by weighing 150g of dark brown soft sugar in a bowl, then measure 100ml of oil….

….add the oil to the sugar, along with 3 medium sized eggs.

Whisk together until sugar is dissolved. I used my hand mixer for this, you may use a stand mixer if you have one to hand.

Next sift in 180g of self raising flour.

Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 1.5 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg….

….1/4 tsp ground ginger. Whisk the ingredients until the batter is smooth.

Prep the carrots next, before grating all the carrots reserve some for garnishing. To stop the garnish turning brown, in a small bowl of water add a few drops of lemon juice.

I am using this garnishing tool to create julienned carrot strips, you may use a knife instead.

Top, tail and peel the carrots and reserve some strips for decorating, place the strips in the lemon water and this will prevent the strips from turning brown.

Grate the remaining carrots.

Add the grated carrots to the cake batter and whisk.

You will need a round 8 inch cake tin or you may use an 8 x 8 inch square cake tin for baking.

Prep the cake tin by rubbing the inner rim with a little butter/fat and then dusting with flour.

Place a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom to make releasing the cake easier.

Pour the cake batter into the tin and bake in the top of your oven for 45 minutes on gas mark 4. After 45 minutes, remove the cake tin and cover with foil and continue to bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. IF WHEN YOU INSERT THE SKEWER the skewer doesn’t come out clean, bake for an extra 15 – 20 mins. If you use a square cake tin, 35 – 40 minutes should suffice.

Begin to prepare the frosting whilst the cake bakes.

Measure 50g of butter and soften using your mixer. Add 200g of icing sugar to the softened butter….

….along with 2 tbsp of mascarpone cheese.

Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the ingredients (this step is necessary to stop the icing sugar flying everywhere), when the mixture begins to look lumpy (bottom left photo) and the icing sugar is combined, add the remaining mascarpone…

….and mix using your hand/stand mixer until smooth and creamy (top right photo).

Remove the cake from the oven once baked and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the cake tin. Release the cake from the tin and allow to cool COMPLETELY on a wire rack.

Don’t forget to remove the greaseproof paper from the bottom of the cake, this also helps cool the cake quicker.

Prep the nuts for decorating the cake next.

Reserve 16 whole pecans for decorating the top of the cake, weigh and finely chop 50g of pecans for decorating the side of the cake.

Lightly toast the chopped pecans in a pan for a couple of minutes and allow to cool.

Once the cake is completely cool, slice the cake in half using a bread knife or cake slicer.

Take under 1/2 of the mascarpone frosting and spread over the bottom layer of the cake, you will need more frosting to cover the outside and top so just be mindful of this when calculating how much to use in the middle. Spread a thick layer evenly using a palette knife/spatula.

Place the top layer of the cake on top and then using the remaining frosting proceed to cover the entire cake.

Spread the frosting evenly on top and then bring down the sides, a palette knife works best for this. Ensure there is enough frosting on the side of the cake as this is what the chopped pecans will adhere to.

I made a swirly pattern on the top of the cake, to do this you need a rotating cake table. Hold your palette knife at a 45 degree angle on the outer edge, whilst rotating the cake table draw the palette knife in to the centre and gently lift away.

Place 4 whole pecans on the top of the cake at equal intervals (top right photo), equally place 3 pecans in each blank space (bottom left photo).

Take the cooled chopped pecans and using your hands, firmly press along the side of the cake. Continue until you have used up all the nuts.

Lastly, take the julienned carrot strips and dry on a kitchen towel, sprinkle the strips over the centre of the cake.

Ta-da, Afelia’s Carrot Cake is now ready to be served, serve with a hot cup of tea and savour every bite of this delicious moist cake!

Bon Appetit!

3.5.3226

If you like the recipe please share with friends and family, also follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook.