Spiced Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is spicy and studded with pecans and pairs perfectly with the cream cheese frosting, which is not too sweet. Perfect as a birthday cake or for any special occasion.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, cloves, cardamom
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1.5 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
125g sour cream
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the icing
250g cream cheese
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup room temperature butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease two 8” cake tins.
In a large bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients, including the spices.
In a separate bowl, whisk the canola oil, vanilla, eggs, and sour cream until well combined. Add the grated carrots and mix until distributed evenly.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture along with the pecans and fold with a spatula until well combined and there are no lumps.
Divide the mixture between the two cake tins, then bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
For the icing, place the cream cheese and icing sugar into a bowl and stir until there are no lumps, then add the butter and vanilla and stir again until combined.
Spoon the cream cheese icing into a piping bag attached with a star tip.
When the cakes are cooled, remove from the tins and place on a cake stand to decorate.
Start by piping large stars around the first cake layer, working from the edge and moving towards the center until it is covered.
Place the second cake layer on top, then pipe 2 rings of smaller stars on the outer edge. Fill the center with the remaining icing in the bag and use a spoon to evenly distribute and create a swirl design.
Decorate the cake with flowers, nuts, and fruit (I used pecans, lavender, and pomegranate seeds). Enjoy!