Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday marked the first day of our advent calendars, and what better way to celebrate than with a rich, moist carrot cake. This week we decorated the tree, set up the nativity, and of course, I baked a killer cake to start off this year's festivities. Topped with crunchy walnuts and pecans, this cinnamon and brown sugar flavoured delight screams Christmas to me.

An Australian Christmas, while beautiful and green, brings hot weather and this cake is currently taking up valuable real estate in my fridge - better crack on to eating it quickly! The main reason for this unorthodox refrigeration is the incredibly smooth, buttery cream cheese frosting, which is made just that little bit richer with a few tablespoons of brown sugar. This adds a subtle caramel flavour and pairs perfectly with the richness of the moist carrot cake.

While I was searching for inspo recipes for carrot cakes, I noticed most of them had a shopping list of ingredients. Whenever I see a list of 15 or more ingredients, my mind automatically assumes the recipe will take too long (both to cook, and clean up after). So, I have created the most basic carrot cake recipe possible, without sacrificing any flavours. You can absolutely make this without the nuts scattered through the batter, however I think this adds the perfect little crunch to an otherwise soft cake. This recipe also does not contain any pineapple, unlike a traditional carrot cake. Instead the moisture is from the rice bran oil (can use vegetable oil if preferred), and of course the juicy carrots.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Plain Flour

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar

• 1/2 Cup Caster Sugar

• 1 1/4 Cup Rice Bran Oil

• 4 eggs

• 3 Large Carrots, Grated

• 1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (I used Pecans and Walnuts)

• 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

• 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg

• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

• 2 Tsp Baking Powder

• 1 Tsp Baking Soda

For the Frosting:

• 250g Cream Cheese, Softened

• 125g Unsalted Butter, Softened

• 2 Tbs Brown Sugar

• 1 Cup Icing Sugar

• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Let's Bake This Carrot Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan forced) and line a cake pan with baking paper.

2. In an electric mixer, beat together oil and both sugars until combined. Add in the eggs and beat until mixture is thick and glossy.

3. Add the vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon and lightly mix.

4. Sift in the flour baking powder, and baking soda, and mix on a low speed until all ingredients are combined.

5. Add carrots and nuts and fold through with a spoon.

6. Pour half the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.

7. All cake to cool in pan, then transfer to a wire rack.

8. Line the cake pan again, and pour in the remaining batter. Bake second cake for 30 minutes and allow to cool in tin before transferring to wire rack. You may need to trim off any dome created on the cakes before frosting, however this recipe generally produces a nice, flat cake.

For the Frosting:

1. In an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together until, thick and fluffy. Frosting should have semi-stiff peaks in order to keep the cake's structure.

2. Set the first cake upside down on a cake stand. This ensures a flat surface for the first layer of frosting.

3. Top the first cake with half the frosting and spread evenly, leaving around 2cm around the edges to allow for overflow.

4. Set the second cake on top of the frosting and lightly press to stabilize.

5. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting and spread evenly.

6. Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top and serve.