Carrot cake recipes
Whether you want a carrot cake that's dense, moist and full of spice and nuts, or you like a fluffier lighter carrot cake recipe that's (almost) healthful, we have loads of carrot cake recipes to help you out. Try Rachel Allen's easiest carrot cake loaf for afternoon tea, Dan Lepard's carrot cake cupcakes for Easter, or Nigella's gingery carrot cake for a special birthday. We have gluten-free, vegan and reduced sugar versions, too.
Our easy carrot cake recipe only needs one tin and two bowls – just add the wet ingredients to the dry and bake. This classic carrot cake has a touch of orange and walnuts plus the obligatory cream cheese icing. It's incredibly quick to put together, but because it is baked in a single layer, it needs to cook slowly all the way through to the centre. This results in a dense, moist carrot cake that isn't too sweet. It will keep for several days in an air-tight tin, if you can restrain yourself.
More carrot cake recipes
Storage
Carrot cakes can store in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days. However, once iced with cream cheese frosting, they should be stored in the fridge. You can freeze an un-iced carrot cake for up to 3 months, well-wrapped in clingfilm.
Preparation
Carrot cake is very forgiving. As an oil-based cake it's very easy to throw together without much advance warning. Because of the high moisture content, gluten-free flour works well as a straight substitute for plain flour, and there is less noticeable graininess to the texture. If you are baking small cake, or cupcakes, that cook quickly, grate the carrots finely so that they cook more quickly and release their moisture evenly through the cake. When baking a large, single layer carrot cake the temperature should be relatively low, but if the top of the cake begins to darken alarmingly, do cover it with foil during the last 20-30 minutes of baking. Always test for doneness with a skewer, cake tester or dry spaghetti strand as an underbaked cake will sink.
