Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is one of my favourite cakes as it is moist and spicy and seems almost healthy when made with carrots, nuts, olive oil and wholemeal flour. I top this cake with a not-too-sweet cream cheese icing which compliments the cake perfectly. We think this recipe makes the best carrot cake ever!

I use Herbies ‘Fragrant Sweet Spice’ in this cake as it provides a deliciously exotic spice flavour. The spice mix comprises coriander seed, cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, poppy seeds, cloves, cardamom and rose petals. It has become one of my favourite spices to use when baking. It’s available in-store or through our online shop.

I suggest using macadamia or olive oil in the cake, if you’d like to use macadamia oil try a locally produced one such as Brookfarm which is produced in Byron Bay.

The cake can be baked in a 24cm round springform cake pan or as individual muffins or loaves, as I have done on this occasion.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do.

150g plain flour
120g wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp Herbies ‘Fragrant Sweet Spice’
200g brown Sugar
400g carrots, peeled & grated
100g pecans, lightly toasted and chopped
3 eggs
250ml macadamia or olive oil

Icing
250g cream cheese
50g butter, softened
100g icing sugar, sifted

To decorate
50g pecans, lightly toasted and chopped

1. Preheat oven 180C (170C fan forced). Grease and line a 24cm springform cake pan (or see notes below about using a muffin tin or mini loaf tin).
2. In a large bowl combine both flours, bicarb soda, baking powder, spice mix, and brown sugar. Add grated carrots and chopped pecans and mix well.
3. Whisk eggs and oil together then add to the carrot mixture. Stir until everything is well combined.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden and firm to touch. The cake is cooked if it is springy to touch, and/or insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is ready. If there is wet mixture on the skewer return the cake to the oven until cooked through.
5. For the icing: combine all ingredients and beat until light and creamy. We use a food processor to do this, however a stand mixer or electric beaters would also do the job.

Notes: the mixture will make 12 standard-sized muffins or 6 mini loaves. Line the muffin pan with muffin papers for ease of removal and cleaning. Line each of the mini loaf pan holes with a piece of baking paper for the same reason. For muffins reduce cooking time to 30-35 minutes, mini loaves with take about 45 minutes. They are cooked if they are springy to touch and/or insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean they are ready. If there is wet mixture on the skewer return to the oven until cooked through.