Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
My quick one bowl easy carrot cake recipe with a simple lemon cream cheese topping is easy to make, melts in the mouth and tastes amazing. And it takes less than an hour including cooking time.
I know carrot cake isn't exactly Cypriot, but as this recipe uses olive oil, it has to be the perfect cake to make after picking olives and taking the oil to be pressed!
Easy carrot cake recipe
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 28 cm 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 my Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
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.
Tip: The oil makes the mixture quite runny, so experienced cake makers may be tempted to add more flour. DON'T! The runny mix is what makes the cake really moist:)
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
- 1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- 2. Line a standard loaf tin or oblong cake tin with baking paper.
- 3. Place all ingredients into a bowl and beat well.
- 4. Pour mixture into cake tin.
- 5. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- 6. Remove the cake from oven and allow to cool.
- 7. Turn cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing.
Lemon Frosting for Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
Luscious lemon 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.
- This cake makes a great "energy bar" snack to carry in a rucksack - simply omit the topping, slice and wrap in foil.
My easy carrot cake recipe usually attracts lots of compliments and cries of "Can I have the recipe please Helen," so be prepared when offering your guests a piece of this mouthwatering dessert. A good tip is to buy several extra loaf tins to make a whole batch of cakes for the freezer too.
Related Pages:
Pick your own olives and turn them into olive oil!
Pickling Caper Berries and Leaves
Cooking with a Pressure Cooker
Gorgeous juicer recipes using seasonal Cyprus Fruit and Veg
Favourite Things to Do
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