Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I always couple my Carrot Cake with an American inspired Cream Cheese Frosting. This is essentially just buttercream made with half butter and half cream cheese but the result is a wonderful creamy texture that holds up to being spread all over the cake or piped on cupcakes too.

1. Whisk the sugar, oil and eggs until combined. You will need to whisk until the sugar is all dissolved and this should take 3 minutes or so. Add the orange extract.

2. Combine the flour, mixed spice and bicarb in a separate bowl and fold this into the wet ingredients a third at a time.

3. Add the carrot, sultanas and coconut to the cake mixture and fold these through until all are well covered.

4. Spoon the cake mix into two lined 8” sandwich tins and bake in a 170°C oven for around 35 minutes. The cake is done when it has risen and springs back when pressed lightly. If you are unsure, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean or with only a few crumbs on it.

5. Leave the cakes to cool on a cooling rack in their tins for 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely.

6. To make the cream cheese frosting, cream the butter in a freestanding mixer for 2-3 minutes until soft.

7. Add half of the icing sugar and mix until combined, then add half of the cream cheese and mix again.

8. Repeat this until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the frosting is light and creamy.

Use this frosting to sandwich your two layers of Carrot Cake together. You will also have sufficient frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake too if you like!

Recipe courtesy of Charlotte White from Restoration Cake.