Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you have been following my blog for a while, you would know that I am no baker.  I'm better at cooking dishes than baking cakes and pastries. 

They say baking is a science.  It works on precise measurements and temperature.  Tamper with it, and you will be courting disaster.



I never got flying colours for my science subjects in school.  I like to tamper.  I'm a tamperer.  No wonder I cannot bake :P  But i really wanted to master a couple of easy bakes instead of just throwing in the towel.

Carrot cake is supposedly one of the easiest cake to make.

The first time I attempted this, it turned out like this..

Burnt top and undersized pan.

I took the cake out from the pan, stared at it sadly and shook my head.  Sliced it and took a bite.  

Oh sugar, it tasted WONDERFUL!

The texture was very moist, exactly how I like it, with a sweet caramelised flavour and subtle hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The crust top, though semi burnt, had a nice smoky aroma, of which was unceremoniously cut out by my hubby and popped into his mouth!  

This was the 2nd attempt, whew!

This recipe was taken from Veronica of Quay Po Cook's blog.  Thanks Veron for a lovely recipe :)


Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Quay Po Cooks, with minor adjustments

• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 C granulated white sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 C finely grated carrot (squeeze out the juice and drink it!)
• 1 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 C chopped walnuts / pecans
• 1/2 C dried sultanas or raisins

1.  Use an 8inch springform pan.  Line the base of the pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan.  Preheat the oven at 170C.

2.  Sift the flour, and mix all the dry ingredients (except the nuts and dried fruits) together.

3.  In another bowl, add the wet ingredients together.

4.  Mix the wet and dry ingredients together and beat for about 2-3 min until evenly blended.  The mixture would be quite runny.

5.  Stir in the nuts and dried fruits.

6.  Bake for 30-40min until a cake skewer comes out clean.  If the top is starting to burn, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminium foil (poke some holes on the top)

7.  Remove the cake from the oven and let stand on a wire rack for 20min before unmoulding.  The cake would have shrank away from the pan a tiny bit, just nice to unmould without affecting the sides of the cake.


To make the frosting;

• 2/3 C icing sugar
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 225g cream cheese, room temperature

1.  Sieve the icing sugar.  Add in the sour cream and cream cheese and beat until evenly blended.   Spread over cooled cake.


Note: This cake can be baked in advance.  I have baked it the night before, and once it has completely cooled, cover it loosely with aluminium foil (poke some holes on the top) and keep it in the microwave with the door closed. 


The following photos were taken under extremely low lighting, just after a heavy thunderstorm in fact.  I love the soft, rustic nuances in the photos.  Reminds me of those American Christmas movies, when it is the first Christmas morning after a night of heavy snowfall.  Ah yes, Christmas is in the air :)

Doesn't the cream cheese frosting look like a bed of snow?

Moist yet crumbly texture. 



Like wood chips on a bed of fresh snow. 

"I'm.....dreaming of a white christmas..."