Pecans add a lovely crunch to this delicious carrot cake but feel free to leave them out if you don’t like nuts. The cream cheese icing is what takes this classic carrot cake to the next level! Recipe is courtesy of AllRecipes.co.uk
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 300ml (1/2 pint) vegetable oil
- 400g (14 oz) caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 250g (9 oz) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 350g (12 oz) grated carrots
- 125g (4 1/4 oz) chopped pecans
For the Icing
- 125g (4 1/4 oz) butter, softened
- 1 (200g) tub cream cheese, softened
- 450g (1 lb) icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125g (4 1/4 oz) chopped pecans
Preparation Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (gas mark 4). Grease and flour a 23x33cm baking tin.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, caster sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots and fold in pecans. Pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- To Make topping: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Spread over the top of cake when it has cooled.