Hummingbird Bakery Carrot Cake
A classic carrot cake courtesy of the London-based Hummingbird Bakery
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 300 grams light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 300 milliliters neutral vegetable oil e.g. canola or sunflower
- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus extra to decorate
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 grams carrots shredded
- 100 grams shelled walnuts or pecans chopped, plus 75 grams extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 600 grams powdered sugar sifted
- 100 grams unsalted butter softened
- 250 grams cream cheese cold
Instructions
Bake the cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line the bottoms of three (20cm) cake tins with baking parchment and grease the sides.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and oil until all ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split).
- Slowly add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until well mixed. Fold in the grated carrots and walnuts until evenly dispersed.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tins and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- While the cakes are cooling, beat the icing sugar and butter together in a deep bowl on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together. It will have a sandy texture.
- Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
- When the cakes are cold, put one on a cake stand or plate and spread about one-quarter of the frosting over it with a palette knife or spoon. Place a second cake on top and spread another quarter of the frosting over it. Top with the last cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Finish with the extra walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.
Notes
- Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook.
- If you don't have enough cake tins, simply refrigerate the batter while baking the layers one at a time.