Recipe

Carrot cake with caramelised pecans

You'll love this moist and easy carrot cake with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting

May 06, 2020 2:00pm
  • 1 hr 45 mins cooking
  • Serves 12
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Ingredients

Carrot cake
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cup (295 grams) firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup (250 millilitres) vegetable oil
  • 3 cup coarsely grated carrot, firmly packed
  • 1 cup (110 grams) coarsely chopped pecans
  • 2 1/2 cup (375 grams) self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 teaspoon mixed spice
Caramelised pecans
  • 3/4 cup (90g) pecans
  • 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
Cream cheese frosting
  • 65 gram (2oz) unsalted butter, softened
  • 165 gram (5oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 3 1/3 cups (540 grams) icing sugar

Method

Carrot cake
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a deep 22cm round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper.
  • 2
    Beat eggs, sugar and oil in a small bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in carrot and pecans, then sifted dry ingredients. Pour mixture into pan.
  • 3
    Bake cake for 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave cake in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, make caramelised pecans. Make cream cheese frosting.
  • 5
    Split cold cake in half; spread bottom layer with half the frosting.
  • 6
    Top with remaining cake layer; spread top with remaining frosting. Decorate with caramelised pecans.
Caramelised pecans
  • 7
    Place pecans on a large baking-paper-lined oven tray. Stir sugar and ½ cup (125ml) water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves.
  • 8
    Bring to the boil; boil, without stirring, for 6 minutes or until a golden caramel. Pour caramel over pecans on tray, tilting tray to spread into a thin even layer. Leave to cool and set; break into pieces.
Cream cheese frosting
  • 9
    Beat butter, cream cheese and rind in a small bowl with electric mixer until pale. Gradually add sifted icing sugar beating until light and fluffy.

Notes

You need 3 large (540g) carrots for the amount of grated carrot used in this recipe. Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Uniced cake can be frozen for up to 3 months

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