Posted on
by 
1 Comment 
I’ll let you in on a little secret; up till not so very long ago I always thought that carrot cake wasn’t real. That it didn’t really exist other then in a stupid joke that I heard when I was a kid. The joke was about a bunny going to a bakery asking for a carrot cake, which they didn’t have. He came back every day asking for that same cake, until the baker felt sorry for the bunny and made him one. So the next time the bunny came and asked for the carrot cake he proudly said that yes he had made it especially. At which the bunny looked at him and said; ‘Do you hate it as much as I do?”
Admittedly a very very bad joke really but it sort of stuck with me. And the fact that it was a cake with vegetables in it, had me convinced that it was an actual joke and not real.
I’ve never told anyone about this until now. Of course I’ve known for a couple of years now that carrot cake is in fact a very real thing. My mistake is probably also due to the fact that I don’t think it is very popular here in the Netherlands or maybe I just haven’t seen any. Fact is that up until yesterday I had never tasted one! It was just one of those things that didn’t occur to me to make. But when I wanted to try out our new oven yesterday and I ‘bumped’ into this recipe on the Good Food website which was a makeover to make it more healthy I figured it was a sign.
So the very first thing out of our brand new oven is this carrot cake. And I can tell you now that I will definitely be making it a few more times! This is good, seriously good. I haven’t checked against a regular carrot cake recipe why this one is considered to be more healthy apart from the fact that it uses wholemeal flour instead of plain flour and the frosting is made of cream cheese combined with quark which gives it a lovely acidity.
And am I glad to be back cooking and baking! I seriously missed it!
Easy Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 1 medium orange
- 140 g raisins
- 115 g whole meal flour
- 115 g self raising flour
- 1,5 tsp baking powder plus a pinch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1,5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 140 g dark moscovado sugar
- 2 eggs
- 125 ml sunflower oil
- 300 g carrots finely grated
Frosting
- 100 g cream cheese
- 100 g quark or Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp icing sugar sifted
- 1/2 tsp orange zest grated
Equipment
- Square baking tin 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
- For the cake, zest the orange and squeeze about 3 tablespoons of juice. Pour the juice over the raisins in a bowl, stir in the zest, and let them soak while you prepare the cake. Grease a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.1 medium orange, 140 g raisins
- Combine the flours with the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.115 g whole meal flour, 115 g self raising flour, 1,5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1,5 tsp ground cinnamon
- Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy.140 g dark moscovado sugar, 2 eggs
- Slowly pour in the oil while mixing on low speed until fully combined.125 ml sunflower oil
- Add the flour mixture in two batches and gently fold it in with a spoon or rubber spatula. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Stir the grated carrot and raisins (including any soaking liquid) into the batter.300 g carrots
- Pour the batter into the lined baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula or spoon.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting
- To make the frosting, mix the cream cheese, quark, powdered sugar, and orange zest together. Do not overmix.100 g cream cheese, 100 g quark, 3 tbsp icing sugar, 1/2 tsp orange zest
- Spread the frosting over the completely cooled cake and cut into 16 squares.
- This cake actually tastes even better if you store it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
It’s delicious, it’s easy to make and a crowd favorite for sure!