Carrot Cake

Ah, carrot cake. I became obsessed with carrot cake in my first year of University. I've never liked coffee, but all my friends used to meet each morning in one of the cafes and drink coffee. I'd always have a chocolate Moove (fresh, chocolate milk) or an orange juice and every now and then, a piece of Sara Lee carrot cake.  That's what got the love started. You can still buy Sara Lee carrot cake in the freezer section of supermarkets in Australia. I still like it. But... and it is a big but, it is nowhere near as nice as a home made carrot cake.

For me, there are a few unbreakable rules to achieve carrot cake greatness:

1. It absolutely, positively must have cream cheese icing - none of that butter cream rubbish, which is ridiculously sweet. You want something a little sweet, but not overpowering. If you get that cloying sweet sensation of sugar overload in your mouth, you know you have gone too far.

2. It must include either walnuts or pecans that have been toasted gently before putting in the mix. (Yes, it does make a difference!)

3. You must, must, must include both vanilla extract (not essence - that's rule No.1 of Baking 101) and lots of cinnamon.

4. The cake must be moist and have a good texture.

I've been on the search for the perfect carrot cake for many a moon.  I have two favourite recipes. This is the first.  I'll share the second another time.  This one is a bit more refined than my other favourite. The lemon zest in the icing gives it a gorgeous flavour which really complements the sweetness of the carrots and slight bitterness of the walnuts.

I cooked this for a charity bake sale in aid of White Ribbon Day. I put the cake together at work, so the icing is a bit rushed. It didn't detract from the taste. I am not exaggerating when I say that this was bought up within two minutes of being put on sale.

You can find the recipe on the incredibly awesome site that is Joy of Baking.

Husband Rating: 10/10 

Joy of Baking's Carrot Cake