Niki Louca shares her favourite carrot cake recipe

·

Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for carrot cake with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups S.R. flour
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp all spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups coarsely grated carrots
  • ½ cup crushed pineapple (with juice)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting:

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 250 gm cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups icing sugar mixture
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

  1.  Preheat oven to 170C/350F.
  2. Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and baking soda together and set aside.
  3. Line the bottom of a 24-26 cm round cake tin with baking paper and lightly grease. I use a 24cm tin because cake is a little bigger/taller and I prefer that.  If you do use a smaller tin, the baking time will be slightly longer, so keep that in mind.
  4. Beat the oil and sugar together in a standalone mixer for 3-4 minutes till properly incorporated and sugar starts to melt. Add the eggs one at a time and making sure it is well blended after each one. 
  5. Add the flour mixture in 3 or 4 increments making sure your mixer is at the lowest speed and do not over mix (15-20 seconds with each addition). Over beating the batter will make it denser and a tougher mixture.  The same thing can also happen when you under mix it.
  6. Fold in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts (if using).
  7. Pour batter into your tin and bake for about 1 hour. If the top browns too quickly, cover with foil and continue to bake. Check to see if a wooden skewer comes out clean when you insert into the cake and you should also notice the sides of the cake should slightly come away from the tin. Remove cake from oven once baked and leave in tin for 10-15 minutes before removing it from the tin. Allow to cool completely before icing it.

For the frosting:

  1.  With a hand-held mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together till smooth.  Add the vanilla extract, and, in increments add the icing sugar, making sure it is well incorporated each time. Once all the sugar is added keep beating for a further 1-2 minutes as this will create a smoother and fluffier frosting. 
  2. Decorate as you please. Amounts is enough to frost the whole cake on top and sides or top and the middle if you choose to.

This cake can be made in advance and iced and frozen up to two weeks.

Niki Louca runs cooking classes in Melbourne. For more or to book classes visit My Greek Kitchen at www.mygreekkitchen.com.au or Instagram @mygreekkitchen. You can email Niki at: niki@mygreekkitchen.com.au.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From Metallica to Maritime: The many lives of Greek shipping tycoon Harry Vafias

Though Greek shipping tycoon, Harry Vafias, spends much time working, it certainly isn't a case of 'all work and no play.’

‘I want them to know their word matters’: Peter Georgiou stands against gender violence

Peter Georgiou, a real estate agent from Rushcutters Bay and father of four-year-old twins Leila and Lola, believes change begins at home.

Thessaloniki’s Byzantine walls to shine with new light project

Thessaloniki’s iconic Byzantine Walls are set to be illuminated under a major cultural initiative announced by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Greek World Heritage Cities face rising climate threats

Iconic Greek cities—Athens, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Rhodes, and Patmos—face serious climate threats, according to a new UNESCO-backed report.

Are apps like Duolingo enough to learn Greek, or do we need a tutor?

For many people who want to learn conversational Greek, an app, can be a very useful addition to your program.

You May Also Like

Sakkari progresses to Ostrava semi-finals after comeback win against Ons Jabeur

A near-perfect service game was the trigger for a brilliant turnaround in which Sakkari won 12 of the last 14 games, committing just six unforced errors over the last two sets.

Greece deploys record firefighting force as wildfire season looms

Greece will deploy 18,000 firefighting personnel and nearly double its drone fleet this summer in response to increasing wildfire risks.

Top 8 Greek Christmas traditions you should know about this festive season

Decorating Boats, Volos Lanterns and Cretan Santas! Greece is full of fun Christmas traditions!