The Best Carrot Cake Ever!!

For those of you'll who don't know, I'm a sucker for desserts!! I LOVE trying out new desserts, taking pics to upload on my fb album and advising people on where to get GOOD dessert! Ha ha, I'm like a tour guide in Chennai when it comes to desserts, not even kidding! I love to bake too, occasionally though...


I was introduced to Carrot Cake when I visited London, my close friend dragged me to The Hummingbird Bakery and boy I was I mesmereyes'ed! :P It was love at first sight <3 

Mmmmmm

The thought of using a vegetable in a cake may seem unappetizing but believe me, you'll feel like your on Cloud 9 the moment you bite into the soft sponge with cream cheese icing oozing out of it! The best bit about this cake- CINNAMON!! Plus, you've got some of your 5 a day in there too= BONUS!!

Scruptious Carrot Cake!

My cousin Nitika is really passionate about baking! Her desserts are AMAZING! Ishika and I decided to get off desserts for a week, but after surviving for a few days, Nitika asked us if we wanted her to bake Carrot Cake! *_* Omg, there was no way we were going to  say no... So she decided to modify the cake a bit by adding "healthier substitutes" :P What makes this carrot cake different from the rest is that it's made using whole wheat flour! :D

The very talented Nitika! :*

The cake was DELICIOUS! Honestly the best I've ever tasted because of the extra cinnamon she added to it! 

Benefits of eating Carrots (not Carrot Cake =P) 

1. Improves Vision and Immunity

2. Anti-Aging

3. A Powerful Antiseptic

4. Healthy Teeth and Gums

5. Beautiful Hair and Skin

I wish I could eat Carrot Cake everyday and convince myself that I would get glowing skin! :D

The recipe she used is from "The Hummingbird Bakery" recipe book, and the ingredients that are highlighted in orange are the healthier substitutes Nitika used.. Ofcourse, you can stick to the original recipe to make a classic Carrot Cake!

Ingredients:

300g Soft Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
300ml Sunflower Oil
300g Flour (300g Wheat Flour, a.k.a atta)
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon (She used 2 tsps Ground Cinnamon =)

½ tsp Ground Ginger (She skipped this step! You don't have to use this!)
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract

½ tsp salt
300g Carrots, grated
100g chopped walnuts, plus extra to decorate

Icing:

250g cream cheese
100g butter
500g icing sugar (350g icing sugar)
Note: She also added 2 tbsp of ground cinnamon to the icing because we LOVE cinnamon! 

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.

2 Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.

3 Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts with a spoon, then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, (keep checking!!)  or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

4 When the cake is cold, spread over the cream cheese icing.

5 Finish with chopped walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.

To make the Icing:

1 Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

2 Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.

3 Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy- for at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

P.S- She baked the cake in two batches and added a layer of icing in between for even extra pleasure! *slurp*


Enjoyyyy!


Lotsa Carrot Cake Lovin'


Akriti :)