Carrot Cake Recipe BBC
Carrot cake recipe BBC has a rich, comforting taste that feels old fashioned and familiar. The sponge is soft and moist, filled with natural sweetness from grated carrots and deep notes from brown sugar.Warm spices give a gentle background flavor without overpowering the cake. Walnuts add a light crunch, while raisins bring small bursts of sweetness. The cream cheese topping is smooth, slightly tangy, and balances the sweetness of the cake.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Fine grater
- Chopping board and knife
- 20–22 cm round cake tin
- Baking paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake
- 265 g self-raising flour
- 4 large eggs
- 335 g light muscovado sugar
- 230 ml vegetable oil plus extra for greasing
- 100 g sultanas or raisins
- 265 g carrots finely grated
- 100 g natural yogurt
- 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ whole nutmeg finely grated
- 100 g walnuts roughly chopped
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 250 g full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
- Start by getting everything ready. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C if using a fan oven). Take a round cake tin, lightly grease it with oil, and line the base with baking paper so the cake doesn’t stick.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl and add the sugar. Whisk them together until they are well mixed. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil while whisking, and keep going until the mixture looks smooth and slightly glossy.
- Next, add the yogurt and vanilla extract. Tip in the grated carrots and the sultanas or raisins. Stir gently so everything is evenly mixed, but don’t beat it too hard.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, and grated nutmeg. Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients and fold it in carefully, just until combined. Try not to overmix, as this can make the cake heavy.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts. At this stage, the batter should be thick but still easy to pour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Place it in the oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and let the cake rest in it for about 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a cooling rack and leave it to cool completely before adding the frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and creamy. Add the cream cheese and mix gently until smooth. Once the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the top.
Notes
Notes: Make sure the cake is completely cool before frosting, or the topping may melt. The cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days due to the cream cheese frosting. Walnuts can be replaced with pecans if preferred.