A deliciously moist, warm-spiced carrot cake packed with crunchy nuts, juicy raisins, and a touch of orange zest, topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting. It’s rich, comforting, and remarkably easy to make!
Read the recipe carefully, and then print out the attached cards below the recipe!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 cake (20 cm / 8-inch round tin)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
200 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
140 g sugar
75 g raisins
75 g pecans or walnuts (chopped)
Zest of 1/2 orange
200 g carrots (peeled and coarsely grated)
3 eggs
175 g vegetable oil
For the Cream Cheese Frosting (All ingredients at room temperature):
150 g unsalted butter (softened)
80 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
150 g cream cheese (such as Philadelphia)
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
1. Prep the Oven & Tin:
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F (conventional top-and-bottom heat).
💡 Quick Hack: Tear off a piece of baking paper, crumple it into a tight ball in your hands, unfold it, and line your 20 cm (8-inch) round cake tin. It shapes into the tin instantly without any measuring or cutting!
2. Prepare the Batter:
Wash, peel, and coarsely grate the carrots. Chop the pecans/walnuts into smaller pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the cake ingredients: flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, cinnamon, salt, sugar, raisins, chopped nuts, orange zest, grated carrots, eggs, and oil.
Stir well with a spoon until everything is just combined. The batter will be thick and heavy.
Transfer the batter into your prepared tin and smooth the top evenly with a spatula.
3. Bake:
Bake for approximately 45 minutes on the middle rack until golden brown.
💡 Doneness Check: Oven temperatures vary! Insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the center after 45 minutes. Even though the finished cake remains wonderfully moist, the skewer should come out clean (without wet batter sticking to it).
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
4. Make the Frosting:
In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until smooth and fluffy.
Add the orange zest and cream cheese, mixing just until fully incorporated and smooth.
Stir in the lemon juice using a spoon to finish. Spread evenly over the completely cooled cake.
If you notice the frosting starting to curdle or split (usually due to slight temperature differences), pour a little water into a pot just to cover the bottom and bring it to a simmer. Place the bowl with the frosting over the steaming pot for just a few seconds, stirring constantly. As soon as the butter begins to slightly melt and blend back into the mixture, remove the bowl from the heat. Let it cool down until the butter sets again and the frosting becomes perfectly smooth and firm!
💡 Ranger Tips for Parents:
Nut Allergy Swap: If your child is allergic to nuts or sensitive to crunchy textures, simply leave them out! The cake turns out just as delicious and moist without them.
Stealth-Raisin Trick: If your child dislikes the texture of whole raisins in baked goods, soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes, drain them, and blend into a smooth paste before mixing into the batter. It adds natural caramel-like sweetness without any detectable raisin bits!
