“A party without cake is just a meeting”– Julia Child.
It’s been a never ending week. Unexpectedly busy and unnecessarily stressful. Finally the weekend is here and along with it a long planned family Sunday brunch. One where I had offered to bring dessert. Get something ‘not heavy’ and ‘not chocolate’ , I was told. Tired as I was, I put together this light carrot cake that generally goes down well with the non chocolate people in my life .
I am not going to wax poetic about this cake. Not because its not good. It is. It is really good. It is not a cake that will change your life forever but it ll make you grab a second slice. Its easy and needs no trips to the supermarket for exotic ingredients. It travels well and as it is made with oil, stays nice and soft in the refrigerator for upto a week. What else do you want from a cake?
To jazz it up ever so slightly, and seem like I had put more effort into it (than I actually did!) , I split the cake up and slathered it with some mascarpone icing . This is of course optional, the cake doesn’t need it at all. But if you prefer your cakes iced, then go with this one ! It is lighter than the traditional cream cheese frosting , and since the cake in itself isn’t too sweet, the icing complements it well. Or go with cream cheese if you like the tang .
Ingredients
Steps
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Grease and flour your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 180 C.
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Grate your carrots. You’ ll need 3-4 small or 2-3 medium ones.
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Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder , salt and cinnamon until well combined.
- In another bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick and pale . This takes about 5-6 minutes with a mixer.
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Drizzle in the oil while continuing beating little by little. If you pour it in all at once, it’ ll deflate the egg mixture.
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Fold in the dry flour mixture into the beaten eggs and oil or mix lightly with a spatula until you cant see the flour anymore. You will lose the volume from the eggs and the batter is quite thick.
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Fold in the carrots.
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Pour into prepared pan annd bake at 180 C for 35-40 minutes. You ‘ ll know its done when the sides come away and a toothpick inserted comes out clean .
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Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert , remove parchment and cool right side up on a rack until totally cool.
Update (13.04.16) : Since the time I first posted this cake I was in such a hurry, I have updated some pics of the same recipe made later (when I had marginally better camera skills and way better lighting!)
For the Mascarpone frosting (optional)
Ingredients
Steps
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Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.Takes 6-8 minutes with a mixer
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Mix in the vanilla and beat for a minute.
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Fold in the mascarpone cheese.
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Mix until smooth . Keep chilled until needed.
Also:
- This recipe makes a thick sturdy cake , so its very easy to split into two for icing. Double the recipe if you want a four layered fancy cake.
- If you dont want to beat up the eggs, you could also whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla together. Add this mixture to the dry and mix . Then fold in the carrots. Slightly denser cake, but still tastes good.
- You can add in chopped toasted or untoasted nuts into the batter.
- Store the uniced cake in the fridge in a closed container for upto a week. Once iced, you can store for upto 3 days. Get to room temperature before serving.
Once you make this carrot cake , it ll be in constant rotation in your house. Its moist , light and tender. By itself , its a good teatime or anytime cake that you can keep on snacking on. With the icing, it makes an easy casual dessert after a heavier meal . I m off now for some much needed down time. Have a great Sunday folks !
Excellent post. I have used desi ghee instead of vegetable oil. It came out with nice smell. I didn’t use the cinnamon. Instead use vanilla essence. One quick question. Do I really need to us baking soda? Without that also I get nice soft cakes. Please let me know. Thanks in advance.
Glad to know you liked the cake Sampad..very interesting that u used ghee ! Baking soda is needed in some cakes where there is a acid component. Like curd, or vinegar or lime juice. You don’t need it in all cakes. But if a recipe asks for it, its better not to skip it !
Hi size of the pan used?
Hi Ranju… have used a 7 inch round pan for the cake…
Amazing flavor and beautiful texture. Simply loved this cake.
Super Ruchika !! Thanks so much for trying the cake and coming back to let me know the result!
Mam..thank u for such an easy n awsome recipe…but evrytime I bake cake( although am a beginner) I end up getting cracked tops….I bake in microwave in convection mode. I have used aluminium round pan and microwave safe square ( borosil) dish …but the same result always….cannot figure out what to do to achieve a flat top….can I use butter paper instead of parchment paper? Thank u in advance
Hi Diptashree.. it seems like the temperature in your oven is too high. Try baking it at a lower temperature next time. For example , if a recipe asks for 180 C for 35 minutes, bake for 160 C for 38-40 minutes or longer. Also , try using the same size pan as in recipe whenever possible.. Hope this helps!Happy Baking !