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Friday 23 November 2012

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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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..."

34 comments:

  1. True, baking is a science of which lots of factors needs to be put into consideration and the final result is known only when it's too late to make any changes -baked already!
    Once you bake more and more... you will be able to tamper.

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    Replies
    1. That's what scares me..the fact that once the batter is in the oven, its the point of no return. You can't adjust anything...its do or die :p

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  2. Esther, You are most welcome! I am glad you find this recipe work for you:D I LOVE this recipe. It never fails me. hehe

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  3. Looks good despite the burnt top... love that icing!

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  4. I think you jut proved that you ARE a baker! Beautifully done...carrot cake is one of my favorites!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lizzy. I've got a lonnnnng way to go, but at least one's down!

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  5. Yum yum love carrot cakes! Anyone can be a baker, just need to take the first step, then the next, then the next, before you know it, you'll be really good at it :D Happy Baking!

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    Replies
    1. Haha thanks Kelly! Yes i am practising a bit more lately :p

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  6. You can be a baker, Esther, through trial and error. This carrot cake looks yum and very nicely decorated.

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  7. Looks to me like you may have the makings of a fine baker, Esther! I love carrot cake and this one looks wonderful!

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  8. Haha Esther! I see myself when I read this post.

    I will leave the baking to my Mrs. :)

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    Replies
    1. Good partnership, one cooks savouries and the other specialises on sweets :)

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  9. Wow! 2nd attempt huh? Could've fooled me for a non-baker. Gorgeous!

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  10. YUMMY! I also love carrot cake! You can try it with some other frosting next time, it works great with lime too. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hey, lime frosting sounds really good! Ok, will try. Thanks for the tip.

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  11. Ha ! You should see some of my bakes ! I've got loads of hits and misses when it comes to baking ;D ..... Not a baker ?! By the look of that delicious carrot cake , I'm sure you are !

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    Replies
    1. Slooooooooowly getting there i hope :) thanks for dropping by Ann.

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  12. Hi Esther, your carrot cake look very moist, love the cream cheese frosting, my favorite.

    Have a fabulous weekend.

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  13. Hi Esther, I love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, but haven't got the chance to bake one (lazy to grate the carrots haha), hope I'll stop being lazy and bake one soon. Your cake looks so moist and delicious! I agree that baking is a science, and I actually like it because I can just follow it and they will, most of the time, turn out right. Cooking is a totally different story! My mom and grandma say they will just use their gut feelings when they cook - like estimating how long it'll cook, tasting and adjusting the seasonings all the time... it's something that I still can't get used to!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jasline, thanks for dropping by. The grating carrots part is a bit tiring i must say, so i usually bake this in half the quantity heehee. Bt the good thing is you get to have some carrot juice on the side, so its like kill two birds with one stone.

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  14. Aiyah, how come I missed this post? I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone! You should have seen my first brownies. So dry and so brown hah! hah! And brownies are supposed to easy. Hmmmph! Esther, your second attempt looks really good! I can see that it is moist and well baked and love the frosting too! I baked carrot cake only once and threw the whole thing into the bin. It was dry and crumbly. Perhaps I should attempt this recipe and who knows, it'll work out :)

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    Replies
    1. PH, this recipe is very reliable, yes, pls try:) if it works for me, it will work for everyone !

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  15. hi esther, it looks very very good the 2nd attempt. But dont worry, we have friends all around here, even if you fail again, there will be lots of people here who will helping you. i had numerous failed attempts too !

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  16. Hmmmm this carrot cake looks so good, especially with the cream cheese frosting! Your photos are tempting me to try, and I'm not even a baker. ;) I wish I can have a piece!

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