Loved for centuries, there’s a reason carrot cake is such a classic. If you ask us, it’s enough to topple a good lemon drizzle and Victoria sponge off number one spot.
This recipe is as traditional as they come; a fail-safe carrot cake sponge topped with a cream cheese frosting.
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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 55 mins
Cal/Serv:
759
Ingredients
For the cake
225ml
sunflower oil, plus extra to grease
225g
light muscovado sugar
4
medium eggs
225g
self-raising flour
1tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
11/2tsp.
each mixed spice, ground cinnamon and ground ginger
150g
sultanas
200g
carrots, coarsely grated
50-75 g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
For the icing
175g
unsalted butter, very soft
1tsp.
vanilla extract
275g
full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
200g
icing sugar
Carrot decorations, optional, available from larger Sainsbury's stores (£1.55 for 12)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a round 20.5cm cake tin with parchment paper. Put the oil, sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Step 2
Add the flour, soda and spices to the bowl and mix to combine. Stir in the sultanas, carrots and nuts. Scrape mixture into the prepared tin, level and bake for 1hr 5min-1hr 15min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5min in tin, then remove from tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 3
To make the icing, in a large bowl beat the butter and vanilla until completely smooth, then add the room-temperature cream cheese and mix to combine. Sift over the icing sugar and mix (carefully at
first, as otherwise there will be clouds of icing sugar) until smooth and fluffy.
Step 4
Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally through the middle. Use half the icing to sandwich the halves back together and place cake on a cake stand/plate. Spread remaining icing over top of the cake and lay on the carrot decorations, if using. Serve in slices.
This recipe serves 12 and any leftovers will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to five days. Though we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole lot is polished off in one sitting, it’s that moreish!
If you’re looking for a twist on tradition, then you could try our carrot cake tray bake or these individual carrot cake cupcakes, which are great for Easter parties. Alternatively, this carrot cake cheesecake is packed with warm spices, sultanas and orange zest for a special occasion show-stopper.
Good Housekeeping UK
What to Read Next
Per serving:
Calories: 759
Protein: 6g
Fat: 36g
Saturates: 14g
Carbs: 59g
Sugars: 45g
Fibre: 2g
Our fail-safe sponge cake recipes - perfect for birthdays through to dinner parties
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
