CARROT CAKE

Adapted from New York Cult Recipes by Marc Grossman

Ingredients:

• 235g (1 ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons/8 ½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 135g (⅔ cup/4 ¾ oz) light brown sugar
• 125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ tablespoon orange juice
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 235g (8 ½ oz/approximately one large) carrots, grated
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

• 100g (7 tablespoons/3 ½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 150g (5 ½ oz) plain cream cheese, softened
• 100g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons/3 ½ oz ) icing (confectioners) sugar
• Zest of half an orange
• ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 100g (3 ½ oz) sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Our use super simple lemon icing, see below:

1. Heat oven to 180℃ (350℉). Line a loaf tin, with baking paper, or grease and flour the pan, set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, set aside.

3. In a large bowl mix together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla, make sure all ingredients are well combined.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix together to form a smooth batter. Add the carrots, raisins, and walnuts and mix well.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, bake for about 40-45 minutes, test by inserting a knife into the cake, pull the knife out, if it comes out clean then the cake is done, if not, bake for a further 3 minutes and test again.

6. Take out of the oven and cool completely before frosting or icing

For the Cream Cheese frosting

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat together the butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Pass the icing sugar through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl, beat the sugar into the creamed butter and cream cheese, add the orange rind and pumpkin pie spice and finish mixing with a spatula.

2. Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut if using.

For lemon Icing:

1. Place 125g (1 cup) icing (confectioners) sugar in a medium bowl, adding fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a very thick glue-like consistency, pour over the cooled cake, use the back of a spoon to spread over the top of the cake.