Carrot Cake
- Sprinkles & Sparkles
- Dec 28, 2021
- 2 min read
28.12.21
Sprinkles & Sparkles
Shiza Zia
The last week of December is almost over, and the cold is in full swing here in Islamabad. To keep ourselves snug and cozy, the perfect evening snack to dig into after a long, cold day at school or work would be a steaming hot cup of coffee to chase away that early evening daze, and a hearty slice of this carrot cake, which oh-so-nicely complements the bitterness of a freshly brewed cup of black coffee.
I first concocted this carrot cake recipe around the same time last year when my family had COVID, and all plans of celebrating my dads 50th birthday were in vain. So instead, I whipped up this cake, which turned out perfect, and ever since last year I haven't even thought about modifying this recipe the slightest bit, cause as I said earlier, it is PERFECT, even without the cream cheese frosting. (Of course, there is nothing wrong with topping the cake with cream cheese frosting, but you have my guarantee, that this cake is complete in itself, even without the frosting.)
NOTE: This recipe makes two 9x2 inch cakes, or a single loaf/log cake, depending on the dimensions of the pan you use.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups raw, peeled grated carrots
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup chopped almonds/pecans/walnuts, or any other nuts of your choice (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unflavored oil
4 eggs
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C, and prepare your cake pan by oiling it with an unflavoured oil.
Peel and grate the carrots.
On a nonstick pan over low heat, dry roast the nuts of your choice for 5-7 mins, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat (on high speed) until light and fluffy.
Reduce the speed of the mixer whilst adding the oil and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated (be careful not to over beat, as it changes the texture of the cake).
Set the stand mixer aside, and using a spatula/wooden spoon, fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan and serve warm with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Alternatively, let the cake cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.
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