Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Carrot Cake

I'm trying to empty and clear the fridge and the pantry of some food stuff, which is a much welcomed move by my family who have been nagging that "my" food items were taking up so much space in the fridge. Among the things, I had an unopened small box of cream cheese and some tablespoons of hazelnuts, and the first thing that flashed through my mind when I saw these ingredients was carrot cake. I haven't had carrot cake in years now, so I decided to bake it. I made it with frosting but it is tasty without frosting as well (perhaps even healthier).
Ingredients:
2 cups grated carrots
1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon


Frosting:
100 g cream cheese
40 g soft butter
1/2 cup icing sugar (adjust)
1 tsk vanilla sugar (or half a vanilla pod)
Chopped hazelnuts (or grated carrots for topping)

Method:
Sift all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Grate the carrots and ginger finely. Mix the carrots, ginger and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, one at a time, with the sugar until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the vegetable oil and beat. Now, add the carrot-nut mixture and mix until well combined. Sift and fold in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. You need two cake moulds to bake this cake. Otherwise it will be very high and the chances are the it's still runny and raw in the middle when you take it out. Butter the sides of the two cake moulds. Place a parchment paper at the bottom. Spread the cake mixture equally. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 175 C (350 F) at the lowest rack, for about 30-45 minutes or so, until it is firm and the inserted skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes in the cake mould and then turn it upside down when taking it out of the mould. Let the cake cool completely before icing the cake.

For the frosting, whisk together all the above mentioned ingredients and spread it evenly on top of the cake and garnish with chopped hazel nuts or grated carrots.


19 comments:

Ramya said...

thank u dear for sending this yummy cake...lovely presentation.

Mahi said...

Cake looks soft n moist! :P :P

I bake ONLY the cake! Somehow got the mindset that adding butter in the cake itself is sinful! hehe! :D For the same reason am not a big fan of any kind of frosting/cream! ;)

Sangeetha M said...

carrot cake is on my to do list, your version with spices sounds great n yummy...nice presentation, liked the veg carving...
Spicy Treats
OnGoing Event ~ Dish It Out-Brinjal n Garlic

Rathai's recipe said...

Ramya: No, thank YOU for letting me feature my recipes on your blog, Ramya. :)

Mahi: Lol. Mahi, I know. :) That's why I added the last sentence. I had you in mind when I wrote that. :)

Sangee: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the veg carvings. :) I wanted to add some colour. I followed a class recipe, the cake was very rich but the coconut kept it moist, and the ginger increases the digestion etc. It's quite similar to making a fruit cake.

Rathai's recipe said...

Sangee: I meant to write a *classic recipe* not class recipe. :D

Nalini's Kitchen said...

Delicious looking cake,your picture makes me craving for it.Thanks for sharing the recipe.Will try it for sure....

Rathai's recipe said...

Thank you for your appreciation and kind words, Nalini. :)

Only Fish Recipes said...

wow...carrot cake looks so delicious...loved ur presentation dear :-)

Rathai's recipe said...

Thank you, Sonali. :)

easyfoodsmith said...

Lovely presentation and a very delicious and healthy cake indeed.

Rathai's recipe said...

Thank you, Taruna. :)

Kalyan said...

Just mouthwatering...looks so fresh & delicious!

Amila said...

nice presentation & looks so delicious!!This is going to be featured today @Midweek Fiesta...Dont forget to visit ok...:) I am waiting to see what you bring for the party today...

Rathai's recipe said...

Kalyan: Thank you.

Amy: Thanks, dear. :) I hope I wont let you down this time with my cheesecake brownies. I was honestly very surprised to see my carrot cake featured on top there. :) But am certainly very happy. :)

Suma Gandlur said...

The cake looks very scrumptious. Thanks for linking it to my event.

Vardhini said...

Carrot cake looks delicious and nicely presented. Thx for linking to the event.

Unknown said...

Absolutely AMAZING!!! XO, Aimee

Kitchen Simmer said...

As an adult, I love carrot cake. I don't know why I never tried it as a child... but I missed out. My favorite part is the cream cheese icing and nuts with it... all together is perfect. :)

I really love your carrot decorations... how very cute. Lovely way to showcase the carrot in the cake. :)

mjskit said...

This carrot cake looks so very moist and delicious! I love the topping of hazelnuts! That would definitely add a unique flavor to that wonderful, wonderful icing!!! Love your cutouts! :)