My quest for the best Carrot Cake recipe started when I tasted one slice of Carrot Cake on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Melbourne. I was coming home from Japan with my young children. It was a very long trip and I was extremely tired. The slice of cold and moist Carrot Cake tasted absolutely delicious and I wanted to recreate the cake by myself. I tried some recipes, altered some of them and now I have one great recipe to share with you.

Makes

1 Medium Size Cake OR 12 Cup Cakes
*Note: I use 26cm x 16cm Tin

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups Self-Raising Flour *OR 1 & 1/2 cups Plain Flour & 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt *necessary!
2 to 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
3 cups Grated Carrots *tightly packed
1/2 cup Crushed Pineapple *well drained and tightly packed
1/2 cup Sultana Raisins
1/2 cup Walnuts *coarsely chopped
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil *Note: Butter doesn’t work for this cake!
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

carrotcake1
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 180℃. Line a cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through. (If cup cakes, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.) DO NOT overcook.
  3. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. This cake tastes better when cold.
  4. The cake tastes great without frosting, but traditionally Cream Cheese Frosting is nice for this cake. You can make Cream Cheese Frosting by mixing following ingredients. ‘My Fluffy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting’ is also very nice.
Cream Cheese Frosting

50g Softened Butter
125g Softened Cream Cheese
1 cup (120g) Icing Sugar
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

  1. Mix all ingredients very well.
My Fluffy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

125g Cream Cheese
3-4 tablespoons Caster Sugar
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Grated Lemon Rind for extra flavour
1/2 cup Cream *whipped

  1. Soften Cream Cheese, add Caster Sugar and Lemon Juice and mix well. Add some grated Lemon Rind for extra flavour if you have.
  2. Whip 1/2 cup Cream, then mix with the cream cheese mixture.