Carrot Cake

There are two types of carrot cake: one where you use butter and the other using oil. The health conscious side of me says go for the olive oil option but then I remember they both have the same amount of sugar. So does the evil of sugar outweigh the butter / olive oil consideration? Then there’s the argument that the other main ingredients are carrots and walnuts, which sort of counteract the sugar. No matter which way you spin it, cake is cake and you probably shouldn’t eat that much of it regardless of the cost/benefit analysis you can have with yourself. For me, its butter every time…but there’s some great olive oil choices too. Oh, and sour cream (maybe next time).

Carrot Cake

 

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Serves: 10

• 185g unsalted butter
• 1 + ¼ cups caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups grated carrot
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• ¾ cup plain flour
• ¾ self-raising flour
• 1½ teaspoons mixed spice

Cream cheese icing:

• 60g softened cream cheese
• 30g softened butter
• 1½ cups orange or lemon zest (optional)
• 1½ cups icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease and line 22cm springform cake tin.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, until combined.
3. Stir in carrot and walnuts, then add sifted dry ingredients and mix together.
4. Pour into tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and place on a rack to cool.

Icing:

1. Place cream cheese, butter and zest into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar and mix until smooth. Spread over cake once the cake is cooled completely.

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