Cakes, Lesson #3 - The Eggless Carrot Cake

Cakes are traditionally sweet and savoury. Cakes differ from bread, in that they are richer and are eaten by themselves, rather than as an accompaniment. They are generally made from a mixture of flour, fat, eggs, sugar and other ingredients baked together and are also iced or decorated. They could also contain honey, fruits and nuts.

They come in many shapes and styles, some of the commonly found shapes are; round, square, rectangle, oval, etc. However, the most popular shape remains round and the methods in which they are produced vary from different regions and cultures.

To learn more about the popular types of Cakes, you can go through the introductory lesson  - Cakes... Baking Made Easy!

‍About the Eggless Carrot Cake

‍Eggless Carrot Cake is a cake made by using the creaming method, made along with spices & walnuts, topped with a cream cheese frosting and best decorated with marzipan carrots.

The cake has been enjoyed since the medieval ages as during those times, sugar was scarce and a commodity only royalty could afford. Hence, bakers would use carrots in their cake because it was one of the sweetest vegetables apart from beetroot, however, carrots were easier to come by and provided the required sweetness to the cake.

Today, you will find a variety of carrot cake recipes and is one of England’s favourite tea time cakes.

This Dish

‍This dense yet light sweetened cake with the grated strands of carrot layered with the salty-sweet cream cheese frosting compliments each other. The carrot and cream cheese balance the sweetness making it a delicious teatime cake.

‍Recipe Card

‍Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

‍

For the Carrot Cake

2. Line the bottom of three 8-inch baking pans with melted butter and baking
3. Grate carrots finely in a bowl and set
4. Sieve the all-purpose flour, cinnamon powder, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl add the yoghurt, sugars, salt, milk and vegetable oil. Whisk well together until the sugar is completely dissolved and then add the vanilla essence and give it a quick
6. Add the grated carrots into the liquid mixture and stir until
7. Fold the dry mixture into the batter and mix until a smooth well-combined batter is achieved. Lastly, fold the walnuts into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the lined cake tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out
9. Transfer the tins onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then invert and carefully peel off the butter paper. Allow it to cool well before icing. Even the slightest warmth will cause the frosting to

‍

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

10. Bring the butter and cream cheese to room
11. In a mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer / planetary mixer, cream butter until smooth and creamy, add icing sugar and continue to whisk together until pale and creamy. Add the softened cream cheese and zest, mix on a low speed until incorporated or mix with a spatula to avoid the cream cheese from curdling. Cover and set in the

‍

Assemble the Cake

12. Once the cake is cool, using a 10 mm plain nozzle pipe the cream cheese frosting on the first layer, place the next layer on
13. Using a tea strainer or sifter, dust the top of the second layer with icing
14. Garnish with whole or chopped walnuts.

‍