Carrot cake is so ancient that historians do not quite agree on exactly where it came from, but it has enjoyed immense popularity since the Second World War in Britain, a time when carrots were used to add sweetness to cakes when sugar was being rationed. This cake is so good that our best friends in Scotland chose it to be their wedding cake. For a delicious celebration cake, it can easily be doubled and baked in two or three 9-inch (23cm) springform pans, then layered with Cream Cheeze Frosting. It is easier to make a big batch of frosting in a stand mixer, but if you only have a hand-held electric mixer, you can halve the recipe below. Leftover icing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 month. The frosting should be thawed in the fridge overnight before using. – BReD by Edward Tatton and Natasha Tatton, Penguin Canada.
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Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting (makes enough for 2 cakes)
- 75 g (¼ cup) cold vegan butter
- 125 g (¾ cups) vegan icing sugar
- 125 g (½ cup) vegan cream cheese
Sponge
- 250 g (2½ cups) chopped walnuts
- 35 g (3½ tablespoons) ground flaxseed
- 310 g (1¼ cups + 1 tablespoon) unsweetened oat milk
- 100 g (¼ cup + 3 tablespoons) organic canola oil
- 135 g (2/3 cup) fine raw cane sugar
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) apple cider vinegar
- 165 g (11/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 75 g (½ cup) whole wheat flour
- 7 g (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
- 7 g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3 g a pinch fine sea salt
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 3 g a pinch ground nutmeg
- 250 g (2¾ cups) grated unpeeled carrots (grated on the large holes of a box grater)
Topping
- Zest of 1 lemon using a microplane
Instructions
Make the cream cheeze frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter on medium-high speed until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the icing sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed, gradually increasing the speed to high until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the frosting into an airtight container and chill in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.
Make the sponge and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly coat a 9 × 5 × 3-inch (23 × 12 × 8cm) loaf pan with a neutral vegetable or sunflower oil spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Spread the walnuts on a small baking sheet and lightly toast in the oven until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool.
- To make your flax egg, whisk together the flaxseed and oat milk in the bowl of a stand mixer until a smooth paste forms. If there are any lumps, push a small rubber spatula against the side of the bowl to break them up. Let sit for 10 minutes to bloom and thicken.
- To the flax egg, add the canola oil, cane sugar, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Mix on medium speed with the paddle for 1 to 2 minutes to combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the grated carrots and 150g (1½ cups) of the toasted walnuts (reserve the remaining walnuts for decorating). Lightly mix on low speed for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter from the bottom to check that everything is fully mixed together.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn it out onto a cooling rack, turn right side up, and let cool completely, at least 60 minutes, before frosting.
Frost the Cake
- Spoon on the chilled frosting and use a small offset spatula to spread it over the top of the cake, gently swirling and decorating with as much of the frosting as you like. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the cake and finish with a generous scattering of the reserved toasted walnuts.
Notes
- As this cake is oil-based, it’s very moist and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up
- Toasting the walnuts first adds a deep flavour throughout the cake. We use beautiful local carrots from Helmer’s Organic Farm in Pemberton, as their sweet and fruity flavour is incredible. I highly recommend making this cake when you can find local carrots, as it will take your cake to the next level. Have you noticed your walnuts turning a little black inside the baked cake? Try lightly coating them in a small amount of flour, then shaking in a strainer to remove the excess flour before mixing through the batter. The vinegar and baking soda can cause a reaction that discolours the nuts. The flour acts as a barrier to prevent blackening.
Excerpted from BReD by Edward Tatton and Natasha Tatton. Copyright © 2023 Edward Tatton and Natasha Tatton. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.