This carrot cake is perfect for winter and absolutely delicious. The speculaas spices and cardamom make it wonderfully cosy and festive, while the fresh cranberries add a fruity tang. And the cranberries’ colour even gives the cake a Christmassy look. So if you’re after something easy this Christmas, this carrot cake is just the thing.
Carrot cake
There are still people who categorically and consistently pass over carrot cake when choosing a slice of cake. That’s a shame, because the carrot’s flavour—which is, after all, more of a vegetable flavour—doesn’t really come through in the cake. And as far as you can call it healthy—this cake is made with oil, not butter—carrot cake is a healthier choice.
The classic topping is cream cheese frosting. That little bit of indulgence from the fat and sweetness is just what this virtuous carrot cake needs. For this version, I made a coffee and cardamom frosting. I love the combination, because cardamom pairs well with both the coffee and the speculaas spices in the cake.
Another great thing about carrot cake is that it stays wonderfully moist, even after a day in the fridge. So feel free to make it a day ahead—you’ll have less to worry about on the day you need it.
Recipe
As I said, this cake isn’t difficult to make. I adapted the recipe from Rutger (winner of Heel Holland Bakt). He has some great recipes that are clearly explained and always work.
And if you have a few handy kitchen tools, such as a food processor to grate the carrots, you’ll be ready in no time.
I didn’t make the most convenient choices myself: I grated the carrots by hand, and I also had walnuts from our own tree that needed cracking. That’s why I added a handful of pecans from a bag to the cake as well.
(Tip: I don’t use a nutcracker. Instead, I press firmly on both sides of the nut along the seam. The tip will start to open, and you can use a paring knife to push or twist the two halves apart. You can decide whether you find this handy, but it works for me.)
Ingredients
- 175 ml sunflower oil
- 275 g light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- zest of 1 orange
- 3 eggs
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp speculaas spice mix
- 300 g carrots
- 100 g raisins
- 75 g walnuts or pecans
(or a total of 75 g of both)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 125 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 50 g butter, at room temperature
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 espresso, approx. 20 ml
I used Zeeuws Donker — it had just been ground. But any high-quality freshly brewed medium or dark roast espresso will do. - 1 tsp ground cardamom
- butter, for greasing
- a handful of dried cranberries
Step 1: the cake
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of the cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter.
Coarsely grate the cleaned carrots. Rinse the raisins thoroughly with boiling water. There’s no need to soak them. Roughly chop the nuts.
Put the oil, sugar, orange zest and eggs in a bowl and briefly mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
Add the flour, baking powder and speculaas spices, then mix until smooth. Add the carrots, raisins and nuts and briefly stir everything together.
Pour or spoon the batter into the springform tin and smooth the top. Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake the carrot cake at 180°C for 55–65 minutes, until cooked through. The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean. Leave it to cool in the tin.
Step 2: the frosting
Cream cheese frosting is very easy to make. The little bit of butter helps it set.
Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and butter with a mixer until the sugar is incorporated. Add the espresso and cardamom and mix briefly until light and smooth.
If you don’t have an espresso machine at home, you can use instant coffee instead. Combined with the sugar and butter, it gives the frosting that old-fashioned flavour reminiscent of mocha cake.
Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cake and decorate with the dried cranberries. You can also use walnuts or pecans for decoration if you can’t find cranberries.
Storing carrot cake
Since the cake is topped with cream cheese, I’d store it in the fridge. Thanks to its moist texture, carrot cake keeps well in the fridge for quite a while.
Want to freeze the cake? Don’t add the cream cheese frosting; wrap the cake in cling film or put it in a (reusable) freezer bag instead. It will keep in the freezer for 2–3 months. Let it thaw slowly at room temperature, then finish it with the cream cheese frosting.
