Carrot cake - the cake that you can eat while convincing yourself that you're getting one of your '5 a day'.
Now, this is definitely right up there as one of my all-time favourite recipes. And it's an old one too - probably as many as 30 years old. My Mum was a primary school teacher until she retired a few years ago and many years ago, one of her colleagues did an exchange trip to the States. She came over for dinner on her return to share stories of her adventures and brought with her some Carrot Cake, which she had learned to make on her trip. I was in love. It was everything a cake should be ... light, moist, with a gorgeous creamy 'frosting' - a term that in those days seemed terribly American!
I imagine that back then, Carrot Cake was a new concept to us in the UK - how exotic to have vegetables in a cake. It felt exciting to be pushing back the frontiers of culinary discovery ... and I loved it.
In its original form, I baked it in a square tin, but over the years I have moved - as I tend to with most cakes - to making individual cakes. The scope for 'prettying' individual cakes is considerable and they are just much more convenient than one large cake to cut and share.
I don't always love recipes that use 'cups' but the ingredients here really lend themselves to measuring in this way and it really does make for super quick and easy preparation.
The mixture is pretty runny - almost a batter - but don't worry, this is exactly how it should be. I have a small ladle that I use to put the mixture into the paper cases which seems to help handle the runniness without getting into a right old mess.
So why do I love this Carrot Cake recipe so much?
Simple - it's all down to the secret ingredient.... Can you keep it to yourself? Go on then, I'll share .... it's a small tin of crushed pineapple. Now there's a surprise. Thirty years ago, tinned crushed pineapple was fairly easy to find but I must admit that now I come across it less and less. If I'm stuck (which in Dubai, I am almost always), I blitz the contents of a tin of pineapple cubes (in syrup or juice - either is fine) with my handheld blender. Make sure you do include the liquid - the whole lot needs to go in. Crushed or blitzed - both do their job perfectly. I'd be surprised if you go back to Carrot Cake without it.
It really is a gorgeous cake - birthday or no birthday. But of course, now that I've told you the secret ingredient, I may need to shoot you ...
PrintCarrot Cake
Everything a cake should be ... light, moist, with a gorgeous cream cheese frosting. And of course there's the secret ingredient ...
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins (+decorating)
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1½ cups SR Flour
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 227g (8oz) can crushed pineapple, or pineapple cubes
- 1 cup finely grated carrots (2 medium carrots)
- ⅔ cup sunflower oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/350ºF (gas mark 4).
- Line 2 muffin trays with 20 paper cases.
- In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
- Add the undrained, crushed pineapple - if you can't find crushed pineapple you can blitz the contents of the can of cubed pineapple with a hand blender or chop it finely with a sharp knife. Be sure to add the liquid from the can too.
- Add the sunflower oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well to combine.
- Fold in the grated carrot thoroughly.
- Divide between the 20 paper muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Keywords: moist, nostalgic, afternoon tea
Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a great frosting recipe to add to your repertoire. I also use it in a lemon sponge or sometimes to sandwich together a chocolate cake when there's enough rich chocolate going on
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 85g (3oz) cream cheese
- 50g (2oz) margarine or soft butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 400g (13oz) icing sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Beat together the cream cheese, margarine and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the icing sugar, beating after each addition.
- Pipe onto the cold cakes with a piping bag or spread roughly with a knife.
- This makes enough to ice 20 muffin sized Carrot Cakes.
Keywords: frosting, creamy, piped
Shamsa Lootah
Hi Rachel,
I just enjoyed one of these very delicious birthday cupcakes - I Love cinnamon in carrot cake <3
Thank you very much! 🙂
Rachel
I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it! Now that you have the recipe you can make it yourself too ..
maryam
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for the wonderful cake, its really the best carrot cake i ever had.
Rachel
That's really kind Maryam. I hope that a little cake was a perfect way to start your Monday at work!
Abdulrahman Alserkal
I was lucky enough to be one of the people at the du offices that got to eat those amazing cupcakes.
By far, the best I have ever eaten 🙂 Thank you 🙂
I'll go out tonight and buy all the ingredients so that Muna, the girls and I will have something fun (and delicious) to make during the weekend 🙂
Thank you.
Rachel
What a lovely thing to do. So pleased you enjoyed them Have fun baking! Do give my love to Muna and the girls.
Denise
.............you were right about 'that secret ingredient' - cupcakes were gorgeous AND I have found cans of crushed pineapple for sale in Doha!!! HURRAH
Denise
Rachel
Who said Doha was rubbish for shopping? We'll all be flocking there for crushed pineapple now!
Dan
Hi i live ur secret ingredient ny kids they enjoy my carrot cupcake(; thank u so much
Rachel
So pleased that you (and your kids!) enjoyed your carrot cupcakes!
carla
hi what to substitute if no srf available ?can i use plain flour?or do i need to add for the bs or bp?
Rachel
Good to hear from you. SR flour is definitely a UK thing! You might find it easier to make your own SR (self raising) flour rather than trying to find it in the shops …. it’s easy - https://www.nigella.com/ask/self-raising-flour. I think it may be the same thing as ‘cake flour’ but I’m, not certain.
Happy baking x