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A slice of carrot cake topped with frosting and a walnut.

Best ever carrot and walnut cake traybake

This is the best carrot and walnut cake ever! It's moist and crumbly at the same time, thanks to the addition of apple puree in the batter. And the lemon juice in the creamy, cheesy frosting provides both a sweet and tangy taste sensation!
Recipe by: Veronica
Easy cakes
American, British
Calories 435
Prep 15 minutes
Rest frosting in fridge 30 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 1 9"x13" cake
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5 from 1 vote

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Equipment

  • 2 x mixing bowls
  • 9" x 13" metal baking dish
  • Spatula
  • Whisk
  • Grater
  • Electric hand mixer or wooden spoon

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cups (280g) self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½ cups (300g) light brown sugar

Wet ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup apple sauce or apple puree
  • ½ cup sunflower or canola oil plus extra for brushing baking tray
  • ½ cup milk

Other

  • 2 cups grated carrots about 4 medium carrots
  • ¼ cup desiccated coconut
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup sultanas

Frosting

  • 6½ ounce (180g) cream cheese
  • 4 ounce (110g) butter softened slightly
  • 2 cups icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 16 walnut halves for decoration.

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F
  • Prepare a 9" x 13" baking dish by brushing the sides and bottom with sunflower oil. Then line the bottom with a piece of baking parchment and brush the baking parchment with oil.
  • Grate the carrots on a coarse cheese grater. Chop the walnuts coarsely.
  • Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger) together into one mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar. Set aside while you mix the wet ingredients.
  • Beat the eggs in a second mixing bowl and then add rest of the wet ingredients (oil and apple puree) and all the other ingredients (coconut, sultanas, walnuts and grated carrots). Mix well to combine.
  • Add the combined wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until there is no visible dry flour.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  • Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the cake is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with no batter sticking to it.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the frosting.

Frosting

  • Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric beater until softened (or use a wooden spoon).
  • Add the butter and continue to whisk until well combined.
  • Add the lemon juice and ¼ of the icing sugar, blend until well combined.
  • Repeat with remaining icing sugar, adding ¼ at a time, until all the icing sugar has been incorporated.
  • Place the bowl of frosting in the refrigerator and leave for 30 minutes to allow it to harden slightly.
  • Tip the frosting onto the top of the cake and spread with a spatula.
  • Decorate with the walnut halves.
  • Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Notes

To remove the baking parchment from the cake -
  • Place a sheet of aluminium foil over the cake and then cover it with a large wooden breadboard.
  • Flip the cake upside down and the cake should fall from the tin.
  • Peel away the baking parchment.
 
Calories have been calculated based on cutting the cake into 16 slices.

Nutrition

Calories - 435kcal | Carbohydrates - 50.4g | Protein - 6.3g | Fat - 24.5g | Saturated Fat - 9.4g | Cholesterol - 63mg | Sodium - 339mg | Potassium - 191mg | Fiber - 2g | Sugar - 35.5g | Calcium - 55mg | Iron - 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

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Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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