Name: Easter Carrot Cake recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cup plain flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp mixed spice; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 cup caster sugar; 225 ml vegetable oil; 4 eggs; 2.00 tsp vanilla essence; 2 cups carrot grated; 3/4 cup walnuts chopped; 1/2 cup sultanas; 150 g white chocolate melts; 3 gel food colouring; 250 g cream cheese room temperature; 200 g unsalted butter; 2 cups icing sugar

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 08/06/2019

The Easter Bunny will love this fun and colourful carrot cake packed with walnuts, sultanas and cinnamon spice. It’s smothered in cream cheese icing and decorated with white chocolate ‘carrots’ for an Easter twist on a baked classic. - Greer Worsley

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup caster sugar
225 ml vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups carrot grated
3/4 cup walnuts chopped
1/2 cup sultanas

Chocolate carrots

150 g white chocolate melts
3 gel food colouring

Cream cheese icing

250 g cream cheese room temperature
200 g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups icing sugar

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Grease two 20cm cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.
Step 2

Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbnate of soda into a large bowl. Stir through mixed spice and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add to flour mixture with carrots, walnuts and sultanas. Fold gently until just combined.
Step 3

Divide batter equally between prepared tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly in tin, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Step 4

To make chocolate carrots, divide white chocolate melts between two heat-proof bowls. Working with one at a time, place over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Add red and yellow food colour gels and mix to desired orange colour. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe ‘carrots’ onto a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining white chocolate melts to make green coloured chocolate. Pipe leaves onto the carrots. Allow to firm.
Step 5

To make icing, whip cream cheese and butter for several minutes in a stand mixer or with hand-held beaters until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and icing sugar and continue whipping until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Step 6

Place one cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread over a thick layer of icing then place second cake on top. Cover entire cake with a thin layer of icing. This is called the crumb coat and doesn’t need to be perfect. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set, then add remaining icing and carefully smooth with a palette knife. Carefully press chocolate carrots onto sides of cake and serve.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

You will need about 300g carrots to yield 2 cups grated.

I used red, yellow and green food colouring gel.

Melted white chocolate has a tendency to ‘seize’ and become crumbly if any moisture comes into contact with it. White chocolate melts (buttons) are less sensitive than white chocolate in block form because of the lower cocoa butter content.

Food colour gels create bolder colours than liquid, and are also less likely to seize the chocolate. They do thicken the chocolate a little, so try adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to thin it out if necessary.

As an alternative, you could use candy melts - they are available as buttons from specialty cake decorating suppliers and come already coloured.

This recipe was created and photographed by Greer Worsley for Australia's Best Recipes.