This is a wonderfully moist and spicy carrot cake. You can serve it as it is, but a nice vanilla-y cream cheese frosting accompanies it best, I think. And after some trouble concerning the consistency of cream cheese frostings (US citizens have some advantages there, Kraft sells Philadelphia cream cheese in a ‘brick’, which is much firmer than generic German cream cheese) I’m finally getting a grip on it. This recipe yields enough batter for a 9” (23cm) round cake pan.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup white sugar and muscovado each)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp Lebkuchen spice blend
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp corn starch
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
* Grease and flour a 9” cake pan, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
* In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon extract.
* Mix in flour, ground almonds, baking soda and powder, salt, spices and carrots. Pour into the prepared pan.
* Bake in preheated oven for approx. 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
* Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then remove from the pan, turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
* To make the frosting, combine corn starch and confectioners’ sugar and sift two times. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with half the sugar-mixture and beat until sugar has resolved. Add the vanilla extract and the cream cheese and mix until well combined. Now gradually add in the remaining sugar-mixture. Place the bowl with the frosting in the fridge and let it cool down for about 15 minutes. Then take it out and beat it with the whisk-attachment of your hand mixer until light and fluffy.
* Frost the cake. Done! :)
