simple carrot cake with the perfect, you-wont-miss-the-cream-cheese-frosting, glaze {and new traditions}
This year we’re trying something new.
We’re putting little surprises in the plastic eggs instead of candy. As I’m telling you this my son had an Easter Egg hunt at his school the other day and was ELATED to tell me that his eggs were filled with candy that’s new to him.
“Mommy what ARE these?!" He said as we got into the car and he ripped off the plastic egg top.
"Skittles and Starbursts." I said.
It was silent for a bit as he tried to open the candy himself then he asked for my help. I handed them back.
“Oh they are deeeeeLICIOUS!”
My kids really say deeeeelicious.
They also say yummy. I actually hate the word “yummy”? Don’t ask me why I can’t explain it, but my kids have picked it up from somewhere and say it often... probably just about as often as they say delicious. But if I could get rid of a food-word, it'd be yummy. You can still say it and we will still be friends don't worry. But I will still hate it.
Anyway, all my boy can talk about now is how we’re doing an egg hunt on Easter (3 days!) and how he can’t wait to see what candies are going to be inside.
Cue me buying some jelly beans Trader Joes today.
But should I go out and buy Starbursts and Skittles?
You mean you’ve never bought your kids those candies before?
No.
Don’t judge me.
Also, TRUST ME my kids get pleeeeeeenty of treats. Duh. This is me talking. I just avoid candy like this because well, ingredient lists are still something that I take too seriously.
Also, I want to talk to you about all the weird changes my body is going through and how new moles are popping up in unpleasant places and how I get weird cramps in unexpected places and how I might not sleep well tonight because I’ll be thinking whether or not my body will go into labor naturally and how I should probably go out and buy some Starbursts and Skittles.
But enough about eggs and pregnancy.
Let’s talk about this cake. (By the way I wish you could hear my little daughter say “cake”. It’s the cutest thing in the world, like think of a baby cartoon gummy bear voice saying “cake”, and that’s her. She is always, always requesting “cake” by the way. When I say, what would you like to eat for snack? She'll say "cake!" It’s adorable and I’m not sick of it yet.)
This cake is the cake of many names. It’s so good I feel no name will really do it justice. I just want to call it “amazing carrot cake trust me please make it”. It’s the perfect carrot cake for breakfast too.
It’s easy to make - the most annoying part is shredding the carrots and toasting the nuts, but if you do that a day ahead of time, you can whip it up really quickly.
Annnnd I’m hesitant to convince you of this because I’m such a purist myself when it comes to carrot cake - but this cake doesn’t need cream cheese frosting. It’s not too sweet and filled to the brim with delicious (deeeeLICIOUS!) carrots and lemon and spices (the cardamom brings out the lemon its v good). Then we top it all off with a thick glaze made rich with salted butter, sea salt and lemon.
I bet you didn’t know lemon and carrot go together so well huh?
They really do.
It’s just SO GOOD.
I always feel the need to bake a cake for Easter to celebrate. A tradition I suppose. And now apparently, I may need to buy some "new" candy to celebrate too. ;)
Love you friends. Happy Easter and Happy Spring. Thanks for baking with me.
simple carrot cake with the perfect glaze
I don’t know what to call this cake, it just checks so many boxes it seems unfair to label it as one thing. It’s the perfect cake for Easter brunch. It’s the perfect cake to make if you don’t want to make frosting, but want to impress. It’s the perfect not-too-sweet, almost-feels-wholesome cake because it’s packed with carrots. It’s wait, do I ever need to make cream cheese frosting again because it has such a refreshing, can’t stop licking my fingers, lemon glaze cake. It makes a great breakfast. It makes a great snack. It makes a great dessert. It's amazing served warm and it’s just as good cold. I dunno, it’s a hearty cake, but still feels light? Packed with unexpected freshness that’s just so so good, you can’t help but eat one piece and want another.
for the cake: Please note that if you want a large cake like the one pictured you’ll need to double ingredients in this recipe and increase the baking time. Don't worry though, if you chose to double the recipe or not, you'll still use the same size baking pan. :)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons / 140g all purpose flour
½ cup / 60g spelt flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt ((if using unsalted Kerrygold butter, increase to 1 teaspoon) )
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ cup / 180g salted Kerrygold butter, (softened to room temperature)
¾ cup / 165g brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 medium eggs ((or two large eggs))
¼ cup / 60g buttermilk or sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ cups / 180g freshly shredded carrots
½ cup / 57g raw whole pecans, toasted and finely chopped ((optional))
½ cup / 100g turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top ((optional))
for the thick tangy glaze
1 cup / 115g powdered sugar, sifted ((sift after weighing) )
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice ((you may need a little more))
1 tablespoon salted Kerrygold butter, (melted)
pinch of sea salt
for the cake
First decide if you’re going to double this recipe and make a huge cake like the one pictured, or a smaller cake. Don’t worry, you’ll use the same size baking pan for both options, the only difference is the height of the cake, the bake time and whether or not you'll be doubling your ingredients. The cake pictured is the recipe doubled.
Preheat your oven to 350F / 180C and butter + flour a 9” springform pan (23 x 8cm) and line the bottom with parchment.
Bakers tip: Make sure you butter the whole pan, place the parchment on the bottom, butter that, and then flour the whole pan.
In a large bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients: (flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom) and set a side.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Next add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg entirely into the butter mixture before adding the next egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
In about 3 alternating parts add the flour mixture, buttermilk + lemon (just add the lemon juice to the buttermilk) and shredded carrots. So add a little of the flour mixture, mix, add a little buttermilk mixture, mix and shredded carrots, mix. Repeat this process 3 times until it’s all mixed together. Take care not to overmix.
Gently fold in the chopped nuts with a spatula. Take care not to over mix, but don't be afraid to evenly fold in the nuts.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. If baking a single recipe, bake for 40-50 minutes at 350F / 180C or until the cake is golden brown on top and slightly cracked. If doubling the recipe, bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is cracked slightly and golden brown on top. If you test the cake with a toothpick it should come out clean.
Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to get out of the pan. Let the cake cool about 20 minutes more before drizzling the glaze OR you can serve warm with freshly whipped sweetened cream and skip the glaze. Both ways are amazing.
Bakers tip: You can easily bake this cake the day before serving and let it cool entirely in the tin.
This cake keeps for up to 3 days at room temperature tightly covered or refrigerated for up to a week.
for the glaze
Bakers note: Even if you're doing a single cake recipe, you could still double this glaze. It is fantastic and really compliments the cake in the best way. Or, you can skip the glaze, serve the cake warm with fresh whipped cream.
Sift your powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl to get rid of any lumps. Then add butter, lemon juice and pinch of salt. Whisk together until smooth. Mixture should be smooth, thick and barely pourable. You may need a little more lemon juice to get it to the consistency you want.
FAQ + Resources:
Do I have to use spelt flour?
No, you can use all purpose flour in place of the spelt flour but your texture will be slightly different.
Can I use yogurt in place of the buttermilk or sour cream?
Yes, but preferably a full-fat option please.
This post was sponsored by Kerrygold. I adore everything from Kerrygold but if you haven't tried baking with their butter yet, you really should. It's gold. ;) You can check out a shortened version of this recipe on their site. xo
