Carrot cake is a favorite healthy dessert option with adults and kids, but many recipes are complicated and take hours to prepare.
This recipe for carrot cake is one of the easiest around as all the ingredients are put into the mixing bowl together with no need for creaming butter and sugar. Olive oil provides the fat content, a super healthy alternative to butter, and the carrot cake frosting is a simple mix of low fat margarine, philadelphia cheese, icing sugar and lemon juice. Top with grated lemon rind to add a mouthwatering zing to an incredibly moist dessert.
Easy cake recipes like this one can be adapted for a variety of occasions. Double the quantities to make a large round carrot cake for a party or, if in a real rush, cut the cooking time by baking small carrot cake cupcakes.
Using Olive Oil in Cakes
Some cooks may consider the use of olive oil in this cake recipe a little odd but olive oil is widely used in all types of Mediterranean cookery including baking and works well in cake recipes as an alternative to vegetable oil or unhealthy butter.
Cake lovers can therefore indulge their passion without feeling so guilty.
Ingredients for Carrot Cake
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 and ½ cups grated carrots
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
(Note: Use ½ cup self-raising flour and ½ cup plain flour if necessary)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Line a standard loaf tin or oblong cake tin with baking paper.
- Place all ingredients into a bowl and beat well.
- Pour mixture into cake tin.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool.
- Turn cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing.
Carrot cake Frosting
Mix 25g of low fat margarine with a similar quantity of philadelphia cheese, some lemon juice and icing sugar to taste. Decorate with finely grated lemon rind.
Serving Suggestions for Carrot Cake
- Cut into thick slices and serve with a hot mug of tea of coffee.
- Cut the same slices in half for smaller appetites or to make the cake go further for unexpected guests.
- Moist carrot cake is perfect for an informal post dinner dessert, to indulge with afternoon tea or as a post workout treat.
The best carrot cake recipes attract numerous compliments and requests for more so be prepared when offering guests a piece of this mouthwatering dessert.
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For another quick and easy recipe try our chewy chocolate cookies.
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