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Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Living well in the urban village

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« In My Kitchen, September 2011
Aylesbury Duck »

A Simple Carrot Cake

September 16, 2011 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Our neighbour Mark used to live in an inner-city apartment.

When he moved into Mrs M’s house next door, he was ecstatic to find a well-established veggie patch and masses of lawn to mow.  One of the first thing he did was plant carrots – he opened a packet of seed and emptied it into the garden bed.

As Mrs M’s soil was so fertile, he ended up with squillions of gnarly, skinny carrots.  He’s brought over kilos for us – here are just a few of them…

They’re beautifully sweet, and quite pretty after washing and peeling…

At Pete’s request, I made this carrot cake, adapted from a recipe by Stephanie Alexander.  I ended up altering the ingredients quite a bit – I substituted roasted peeled hazelnuts for the walnuts, and used grapeseed oil instead of olive oil.   Both of these were deliberate changes – we’re not big walnut fans, and I always feel olive oil can overpower other flavours in a cake.

I baked the cake in a springform 20cm (8 inch) pan instead of the 18cm one specified, which meant the finished cake was a little flatter than expected.  I also coarsely grated the carrots – the original recipe called for them to be finely grated, but I didn’t have the patience – and added a little lemon juice to the icing to balance out the butter and cream cheese.

The end result was a homely, comforting cake which everyone loved.

  • 125g (4½ oz) self-raising flour
  • 150g (¾ cup) brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 140g (²/3 cup) vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
  • 2 large free range eggs
  • 250g (2 cups) coarsely grated carrot
  • 75g (½ cup) roasted peeled hazelnuts, chopped (original recipe specified walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 180C (360F) or 160C (320F) with fan.  Grease and line either an 18cm (7″) or a 20cm (8″) round cake tin.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl or measuring jug, whisk together the oil and eggs.  Add this to the flour, and beat with an electric mixer for a minute or so until combined.

3. Stir in the carrot and hazelnuts, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin.  If you’re using an 18cm cake tin, bake for about an hour; if using a 20cm tin, reduce this time to about 50 minutes.  The cake is cooked when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool in the tin before removing and icing.

Lemon Icing

  • 60g (¼ cup) softened unsalted butter
  • 125g (4½oz) softened cream cheese
  • 115g (4oz) icing sugar mixture (confectioner’s sugar), sifted
  • lemon juice

In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together, then beat in the sifted icing sugar.  Add enough lemon juice to form a spreadable icing.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

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Posted in Recipes | Tagged easy carrot cake recipe, simple carrot cake | 71 Comments

71 Responses

  1. on September 16, 2011 at 12:15 am Tandy

    yum! Those carrots look like the real deal – all crunchy and just a quick wash before being enjoyed :)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:08 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Hehe…Tandy, more like a quick scrub and peel! They actually took a while to prepare – I have renewed respect for restaurants which served whole baby carrots – it’s hard to get all the dirt out! :)


  2. on September 16, 2011 at 12:23 am theonlycin

    The carrots are MUCH prettier after washing and peeling :) And yes, comforting is just the word for your cake!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:10 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Cindy, Pete’s brother wasn’t well and hadn’t eaten in a day or so, but he wolfed down a large wedge of this cake. Pete told him it had all the food groups in it – veg, oil, carbs and protein from the nuts. :)


  3. on September 16, 2011 at 12:45 am thecompletecookbook

    I just cannot resist a good moist carrot cake and I love the idea of lemon juice in the icing.
    Oh dear, I would love a slice of that now with a cup of tea.
    Have a super day.
    :-) Mandy


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:11 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Mandy, I have to say that I’ve never been a huge fan until now. It might be Mark’s carrots – they were very sweet, but I have to admit, it wasn’t easy grating teeny carrots! :) Hope you have a great weekend too!


  4. on September 16, 2011 at 12:56 am scrambledpreservedfriedcured

    Yum! I often substitute applesauce for some of the oil for health and taste…wish my neighbour would drop some carrots off for me.


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:11 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Em, now that’s a good idea! I’m sure I still have some apple butter kicking around in the pantry – we made a huge batch a couple of years ago…


  5. on September 16, 2011 at 1:51 am frugalfeeding

    Oh wow. I adore ccarrot cake – by far my favourite cake! Awesome looking carrots too. I love vegetables that aren’t from the supermarket – they look so… real.


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:16 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      I’ve never had them before, but they’ve been fabulous! Mark says he knows what he’s doing now, so next year he’s going to plant in nice ordered rows. :)


  6. on September 16, 2011 at 1:55 am Abby

    Those carrots look so perfectly fresh! I shouldn’t be reading this right now…I’m soooo hungry and waiting for the lunch bell to ring…can you send me a piece of that delicious-looking cake right now, pretty please? ;)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:17 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Abby, if I could, I’d run a slice over to you right now! :)


  7. on September 16, 2011 at 2:19 am ceciliag

    Well I look forward to trying this as my old carrot cake recipe is just SO TUESDAY (outdated) and yours looks so good, plus i love the icing! c


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:18 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Cecilia, I think the hazelnuts worked really well. I never really liked carrot cake before, but I think that was simply that I didn’t like the walnuts in it. Hmm..and the pineapple that seemed to be a necessary inclusion during the eighties..ugh.. :)


  8. on September 16, 2011 at 3:52 am heidi

    I love Ceciliag’s SoTuesday comment!
    My carrot cake could use a revamp as well.
    I’m going to make yours next time.
    Wish I had some fresh carrots!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 6:19 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Heidi, if you lived in our neighbourhood, I’d share with you. Mark’s brought over kilos – literally – I’ve also made the Ottolenghi Moroccan carrot salad (I loved it, but Pete didn’t!).


  9. on September 16, 2011 at 6:47 am teawithhazel

    i haven’t made carrot cake in years..not because i don’t like it..i do..i really do..i just forgot about it..so thanks for the reminder and for a great looking adaptation of stephanie’s recipe..just wish i had some of those carrots..:)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 7:35 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Jane, I hadn’t made one in years either! I was surprised by how much I liked this – I haven’t liked carrot cakes in the past!


  10. on September 16, 2011 at 8:05 am cityhippyfarmgirl

    I haven’t made carrot cake in a long time, Mr Chocolate is a big fan.
    The icing was always the best bit as a kid, lick it all off and leave the cake :-)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 7:36 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Absolutely! Cream cheese icing is almost always a winner, eh? ;-)


  11. on September 16, 2011 at 8:17 am Kat

    Oh Hazlenuts are different! Must try that. And I love the distinction between finely grated and coarsely grated. To me, grated is grated! I always presume any other adjective is just to make the recipe look fancy ;)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 7:36 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Kat, I nearly did my knuckles in grating those thin little carrots. Next time I’m going to use the food processor (I was feeling lazy and didn’t want the washing up!). :)


  12. on September 16, 2011 at 8:19 am Claire @ Claire K Creations

    The fact that I have all the ingredients for this in my house and exactly 125g of cream cheese left over from making your lemon cream cheese cake means I just must make this today. It looks like the perfect weekend treat. Thanks Celia!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:08 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Claire, I’m so glad you liked that lemon cream cheese cake. It’s a real house favourite here!

      In an 8″ pan, the carrot cake is a flat little cake, but a nice size for us, not too big! :)


  13. on September 16, 2011 at 8:20 am meg@thelegaltart

    Looks divine. I will have to try this one!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:09 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Thanks for stopping by, Meg! Hope you enjoy the cake! :)


  14. on September 16, 2011 at 8:30 am Amanda

    I get frequent requests for carrot cake in this house as everyone loves it. we are all just fine with walnuts here, but if I’ve got them I sub pecans as they are my favourite. I also love the idea of a bit of lemon juice in the icing – would cut that richness quite nicely..


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:10 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Amanda, this is one of Pete’s faves, but the boys aren’t quite so keen. Small Man doesn’t want to eat any cake that isn’t brown. ;-)


  15. on September 16, 2011 at 8:50 am InTolerantChef

    So yummy looking, and those are the best cakes, the homey comforting ones aren’t they?
    My cheffy trick for the baby carrots Celia, is not to peel them, but use a dark green scourer pad and holding in your lefthand wrap it around the carrot gently and pull it through a few times. The skin on those littlies is very thin so it works really well and quickly. But I would use a food processor for grating them though :)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:13 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Becca, these weren’t really that thin-skinned, they were quite mature carrots that had grown all clumped up together, so they’d all curled around each other and were quite skinny! A food processor is a very good idea – I nearly grated off my knuckles… :)


  16. on September 16, 2011 at 9:07 am Roz

    Always made one with almond meal, no flour, very moist and good for the gluten phobes. Yours looks more decadent with icing although I admit to eating mine with cream.


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:15 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Roz, that sounds like a great alternative with the almond meal. I can imagine that it would go really well with the carrots…


  17. on September 16, 2011 at 9:27 am Julia

    Lovely cake Celia and I agree with you about the Olive Oil
    Now I just have to have a “whinge” at you…
    Since I have been following your blog I
    a) now have 3 chickens;
    b) have reconnected with my ailing veggie patch
    c) am attempting a sourdough starter and Lord knows where that’s going to end…
    d) am today going to the Chef’s Warehouse – and I’m taking my credit card…..
    AND
    my Computer programming husband is now being harassed daily for my own blog so I can join in the fun (well the nagging got me the “Chook Mahal”!)

    So thanks for being so prolific with your blogging and your HUGE kind heart which comes through in every post
    You truly are an inspiration!!!!
    Julia X


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Julia, what a lovely comment, thank you so much!

      Aren’t chooks just the best thing? And I hope you had fun at Chefs’ – one of my favourite places to shop! I always tell people who are going there to make sure they take money.. ;-) Did you buy anything really interesting?

      Please let me know when you start your blog, would love to read about what you’ve been up to. And if you’re looking for a blogging platform to use, I can highly recommend WordPress – I’ve always been completely delighted with their product and support services!
      http://www.wordpress.com

      Thanks again! :)

      Celia


  18. on September 16, 2011 at 11:47 am Nic@diningwithastud

    Love the walnut substitute :) Stud hates walnuts so this would be a perfect swap! Those carrots do look delish! Love it when they’re smaller – much more character


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Nic, the roasted hazelnuts are really nice in this cake – I think that’s why I like it so much! Don’t know if you saw my recent In My Kitchen post, but you inspired me to make taramosalata! Thanks! :)


  19. on September 16, 2011 at 2:28 pm Manuela

    Your cake looks great. Finally a recipe without pineapple! I have a large surplus of carrots right now, so I’ll try it soon. My children like to lick off all the icing, then leave the cake for me!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:22 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Manuela, see, that’s what I think too! Why the pineapple? :)

      Small people are too funny – sometimes I think we should make two bowls of icing, one for the cake and the other for them to eat! :)


  20. on September 16, 2011 at 6:21 pm Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    What a wonderful gift! Plus the cake looks lovely and moist which is a must for a good carrot cake :)


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:24 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      L, I wish you could have seen them when he brought them over, all wet and dripping with mud, and so heavy that they were hard to carry! :) Cleaned up a treat though, and soooo tasty!


  21. on September 16, 2011 at 7:48 pm Leah

    That looks so yummy! I must try planting carrots in my garden like that. So easy! ;)

    I wanted to ask you if there’s a sourdough book you recommend. I have had lots of success with my own starter but now I’m ready for more information on making my sourdough even better. But I still don’t want to make it too technical. I like your style. So do you have any suggestions? Thanks for a beautiful blog!


    • on September 16, 2011 at 8:33 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Leah, thanks for your kind words, I’m glad you enjoy the blog!

      For a non-technical sourdough book and a first sourdough book, I’d HIGHLY recommend Dan Lepard’s The Handmade Loaf. It’s a great mix of travel tales (from Dan’s visit to various bakeries in different countries) and superb sourdough and yeasted recipes. All clearly laid out with photos and there isn’t any need to calculate percentages or figure out hydration ratios. Lots of very clever ideas too.

      Here are some examples of recipes from Dan’s book that I’ve written up in the past – they might give you a feel for his recipes:

      https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/05/13/dan-lepard-ricotta-loaf/
      https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/09/21/flatbread/
      https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/03/13/maize-and-wheat-loaf/
      https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/06/08/more-grain-loaves/


      • on September 17, 2011 at 8:40 am Leah

        Thank you very much, Celia! You are so generous in your responses to your blog. I appreciate it!


  22. on September 16, 2011 at 10:25 pm Melanie

    Really super looking cake Celia!! It does seem simple and the substitutions are perfect since my hubby can’t stand walnuts. I’ve never made carrot cake before, because its never been my favorite, but I might give this a try. I always keep baby carrots in the fridge and I just throw a handful into my mini food processor if I need them grated. I hate how it turns the processor bowl orange though :( but the color eventually comes off.


    • on September 17, 2011 at 7:34 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Mel, I’ll do that next time, as the little carrots weren’t easy to grate by hand! I made a curry powder in my food processor and the turmeric turned the bowl yellow!


  23. on September 17, 2011 at 8:34 am Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

    Celia: I am laughing so hard right. You made this beautiful carrot cake and I have one in the oven that comes from a box. As you know by now I am not a baker, but had a hankering for carrot cake and saw the box at the supermarket and voila….


    • on September 17, 2011 at 8:49 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Norma, I’m sure it’s delicious – carrot cake is one of those ones that’s hard to get wrong, I think (unless you put pineapple in it!). :)


  24. on September 17, 2011 at 3:06 pm Liz

    Oh dear, I like the pineapple version! My last carrot cake was made by non-baking daughter and husband for my birthday! They had selected a much more difficult cake recipe but we we missing a few ingredients. I hinted that a carrot cake would be much easier. Delicious!


    • on September 17, 2011 at 3:57 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Ah well Liz, that’s why we’re all different, I guess! :) I’m actually not a big pineapple fan, although I do love pineapple juice. Time has moved on, and the latest fad seems to be including it in a curry! :)


  25. on September 17, 2011 at 4:54 pm J Cosmo Newbery

    What if you can’t get any simple carrots?


    • on September 17, 2011 at 8:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Then you might need to make a more sophisticated carrot cake, Cosmo.. :)


  26. on September 17, 2011 at 10:42 pm Tes

    I love those fresh and organic looking carrot… they makes the cake sounds even more delicious :)


    • on September 18, 2011 at 8:51 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Thanks Tes! The carrots were really lovely…


  27. on September 17, 2011 at 11:21 pm Karen

    Carrots fresh out of the garden have such an incredible taste. No telling how old the ones from the market are because they never taste the same. I bet your cake tasted great.


    • on September 18, 2011 at 8:52 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Karen, it really did, thank you! I’ve tried the same recipe with bought carrots, and it just wasn’t the same!


  28. on September 18, 2011 at 4:31 am C

    Looks great Celia – I love carrot cake and yours looks deliciously moist. How kind of your neighbour to share his bounty, but I’m sure he receives lovely gifts from you too!


    • on September 18, 2011 at 8:52 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Yes, he’s a generous soul, and it’s lovely to have him next door! :)


  29. on September 18, 2011 at 12:26 pm Jan

    Oh, I do like cake and I can’t think why people got so sniffy when Marie Antoinette said “let them eat cake”:) However, seeing as I tough it out at the gym 3 nights a week and make an absolute turkey of myself at Zumba – pictures of cake are my idea of pornography! That does look so yum and I have the perfect excuse to make it – it would be good for my veggie hating grandson:)


    • on September 19, 2011 at 7:44 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Jan, you are good to work out – you deserve a cake treat! ;-)

      Have you tried zucchini slice for your grandson? It’s the one vegetable dish I’ve seen small people devour.. :)


      • on September 19, 2011 at 9:48 pm Jan

        I just had a look at zucchini slice – I would have to think of some way of naming the orange and green ‘bits’ to get it past Zaccy’s lips – come to that even off the plate and into his hand. It doesn’t matter how much the rest of us stuff our cheeks and exclaim, ooh yum, etc. He’s a challenge.


  30. on September 18, 2011 at 3:56 pm Sally

    Love the look of those big crunchy hazelnuts. Well done for peeling and scraping all those carrots!


    • on September 19, 2011 at 7:41 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Thanks, Sally! The hazelnuts really do make a difference! :)


  31. on September 19, 2011 at 5:42 am Choclette

    Homely comforting cakes are often the best. You say you have no patience for finely grating the carrots, but you did for peeling them. I am in awe – I never peel carrots.


    • on September 19, 2011 at 7:32 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Choc, these were so gnarly and twisted that I couldn’t get all the dirt out of them without peeling! They were also a bit hairy. Does CT have a trick for growing hairless carrots? :)


  32. on September 21, 2011 at 8:27 am Jenny

    Hello Celia

    I have been following your blog for some time and have been delighted with your recommendations for suppliers. A while back you mentioned buying eggs at a good price, I think 60 at a time. Could you let me know the supplier and also if you know where to get a good price for a case of lemons second garde? Yes, you guessed it I am embarking on Lemon Butter making, grin!

    Yours in hope

    Jenny x


    • on September 21, 2011 at 9:07 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Hi Jenny, thanks for reading the blog! :)

      Before we had chooks, we bought our eggs at Flemington Markets, where you can buy trays of 30 at a time for a very reasonable price. It’s also your best bet for buying a box of lemons economically…

      https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/08/08/flemington-markets/

      Have fun with the lemon butter – are you making it the old fashioned way, or in the microwave? (It’s sooo easy in the microwave! :))

      Cheers, Celia


  33. on September 21, 2011 at 9:35 am Jenny

    Thanks for your quick reply Celia…if I remember correctly you did mention the name of the suplier, any ideas? x


    • on September 21, 2011 at 9:39 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Sorry Jenny, I don’t know the names of any of the suppliers at Flemington Markets, but I know there are a few egg sellers there, so you should be able to find some. They’re open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday – Saturday is a complete nightmare, but Friday or very early Sunday morning are quite civilized. :)


  34. on September 21, 2011 at 9:43 am Jenny

    Thanks sooo much for update on eggs and lemons

    jenny x


  35. on September 23, 2011 at 9:26 pm sonsothunder

    Now that looks RICH!!!

    God Bless You
    paul


    • on September 25, 2011 at 6:23 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Thanks Paul! May He bless you too! :)



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