Home > Recipes > Carrot cake recipes > The best carrot cake

The best carrot cake

Name: The best carrot cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: PT35-40M
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 10
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: Butter for greasing; 4 medium free-range eggs; 225ml sunflower oil; 175g soft light brown sugar; 3 tbsp runny honey; 2½ tsp ground cinnamon; 300g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 50ml rum; 50g pine nuts, toasted, plus extra to serve; 275g (about 2 large) carrots, roughly grated; 1 small (about 75g) courgette, roughly grated; For the icing; 400g cream cheese; 170ml double cream; Grated zest and juice of 1 lime, plus extra zest to serve; 75g icing sugar; For the sugared petals; Large handful of edible petals (such as unsprayed roses and violas); 1 large egg white, lightly whisked; Caster sugar to dust; You’ll also need; 2 x 20cm sandwich tins

Published: 31 Jul 10
Updated: 18 Mar 24

This recipe is the gold standard of carrot cakes – a true teatime classic. Top with edible flowers for an extra decadent look.

Discover more delicious carrot cake recipes here.

Medium
August 2010

Test kitchen approved

Serves 10
Hands-on time 20 min, 35-40 cook time, plus cooling

This recipe is the gold standard of carrot cakes – a true teatime classic. Top with edible flowers for an extra decadent look.

Discover more delicious carrot cake recipes here.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 709kcals
Fat: 51.6g (20.8g saturated)
Protein: 8.6g
Carbohydrates: 50.4g (30g sugars)
Salt: 1g

Save recipe

Save

Save recipe Print

Rate

Ingredients

Butter for greasing
4 medium free-range eggs
225ml sunflower oil
175g soft light brown sugar
3 tbsp runny honey
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50ml rum
50g pine nuts, toasted, plus extra to serve
275g (about 2 large) carrots, roughly grated
1 small (about 75g) courgette, roughly grated

For the icing

400g cream cheese
170ml double cream
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime, plus extra zest to serve
75g icing sugar

For the sugared petals

Large handful of edible petals (such as unsprayed roses and violas)
1 large egg white, lightly whisked
Caster sugar to dust

You’ll also need

2 x 20cm sandwich tins

Cook Mode Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Grease the sandwich tins with butter and line with baking paper. Put the eggs, oil, sugar and honey in a bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk for 4-5 minutes until the mixture becomes creamy.
Sift together the cinnamon, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then fold gradually into the mixture. Gently fold in the rum, pine nuts, carrot and courgette.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre of the sponges comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, beat the cream cheese and cream until smooth, then beat in the lime zest and juice and the icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add more icing sugar to taste, if necessary.
Make the sugared petals by brushing the petals with egg white and dusting with caster sugar (see video in tips). Set aside until hardened.
To assemble, place one of the sponges top-down on a plate and spread the surface generously with one-third of the icing.
Top with the other cake and cover the top with the remaining icing. Sprinkle with pine nuts, lime zest and the sugared petals before serving.