Carrot cake loaf
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 12
- Dietary
- Pregnancy-friendlyVegetarian
This easy carrot loaf cake makes a great afternoon tea recipe. The nut-flecked loaf topped with orange cream frosting is a winning combination.
By Rachel Allen
From Rachel Allen: Bake!
Ingredients
For the carrot cake
- 140ml/4¾fl oz vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 2 free-range eggs
- 200g/7oz light brown sugar
- 300g/10½oz grated carrot (grated weight)
- 100g/3½oz raisins
- 75g/2½oz pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
- 180g/6oz self-raising flour
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp mixed spice
For the orange cream cheese icing
- 200g/7oz full-fat cream cheese, chilled (see recipe tips)
- 50g/1¾oz butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50g/1¾oz icing sugar, sifted
- 1 orange, zest only
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Oil and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin (approximately 13x23cm/5x9in) with baking paper.
For the carrot cake, beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts.
Sift in the remaining cake ingredients and mix using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
For the icing, beat the cream cheese and soft butter together in a bowl until well combined (take care not to overbeat, stop as soon as the ingredients are combined). Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and orange zest and mix until the icing is smooth.
Using a palette knife, spread the icing evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out. Cut into slices to serve.
Recipe tips
The carrot loaf cake will store well, uniced, for a couple of days. It will freeze well like this too, for up to 3 months.
Pack sizes on cream cheese vary, but don't worry if yours is smaller as that will also work (200g/7oz makes a generous amount of cream cheese icing). We've used a 165g tub without any problems.
Overbeating cream cheese can make it go runny, so, when making the icing, make sure the butter is very soft so it is easily combined with the cream cheese.
If making the cream cheese icing ahead, store in the fridge until ready to use. If it firms up too much a quick, vigorous mix will loosen it up.
