Carrot Walnut Cake

Incredibly moist and flavourful carrot cake filled with crunchy walnuts and covered in a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting.

PREP Time: 25 mins / TOTAL TIME 55 mins / Serves 12

Ingredients

CARROT WALNUT CAKE

• sussed 2cal Spray Sunflower Oil (to grease the cake pans)
• 1 and ½ cups (180g) plain flour be sure to measure properly
• 1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 and ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (245g) sussed Healthy Heart Rapeseed Oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 pound (454g) carrots peeled and shredded/finely processed
• 3 ounces walnuts finely chopped

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 8 ounces (225g) full fat block cream cheese softened to room temperature
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 and ½ cups (420g) icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Preparation

CARROT WALNUT CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray the bottom and sides of.two 8″ round cake pans well with sussed 2cal Spray Sunflower Oil. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and sussed Healthy Heart Rapeseed Oil until completely combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until everything is incorporated.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until batter starts to come together. Add the carrots and the walnuts and continue to mix until everything is evenly combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool in the pans completely on a wire rack before removing and assembling.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
• With the mixer on low, add the icing sugar, vanilla, and salt, then increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

• Place one layer, bottom side up, on a plate or cake stand. Using a spatula or knife, spread an even layer of frosting over the entire surface. Place the second layer on top, bottom side down, and press down on the top lightly. Spread the rest of the frosting on the cake, beginning with the top and working your way down the sides. Decorate as desired.
• Make ahead: prepare cakes and frosting up to 1 day in advance. Cover cakes tightly and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Unfrosted cake layers may be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling. Frosted cake can be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

NOTES

1. Carrots: You can use a food processor to shred the carrots, then replace the shredder with the blade and pulse a few times to turn some of the shreds into finely processed carrots. This brings the best moisture and texture to the cake.
2. Variants: you can also add sultanas, prunes, dried apricots etc. to the dry ingredients before mixing with the wet ingredients.
3. Decorating the cake: if you want extra frosting for piping borders or designs, prepare 1.5x the cream cheese frosting recipe.
4. Cupcakes: this recipe yields about 24 standard cupcakes. Bake time is 20-24 minutes.