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Kasia

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian, Nut-Free Optional
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, British, European
Calories: 953
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the carrot cake sponge
  • 290 grams Brown sugar
  • 110 grams White caster sugar
  • 75 grams Apple sauce (puree)
  • 70 grams Butter I use stork block
  • 200 ml Olive oil Extra virgin
  • 4 Large Eggs Beaten
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla extract
  • 250 grams Gluten-free plain flour
  • 1/4 Tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 2.5 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tsp Ginger
  • 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 250 grams Carrots Grated
  • 90 grams Pecans Chopped
  • 2 Tsp Baking powder
  • 1.5 Tsp Baking soda
To make the white chocolate buttercream
  • 200 grams White chocolate
  • 50 grams Cream cheese
  • 200 grams Butter Plus 1 tbsp for melting the chocolate
  • 280 grams Icing sugar
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
  • 2 Handfuls Pecans Chopped
  • 1 Tsp Cinnamon

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Fridge
  • Mixing Bowl x3
  • 20cm Cake Tin x2
  • Mixing Spoon x3
  • Whisk
  • Weighing Scales
  • Greaseproof Paper
  • Saucepan
  • Heat-proof bowl
  • Palette knife

Method
 

To make the carrot cake sponge
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees (fan)
  2. Beat together the sugar and butter, in a bowl, until smooth and creamy
  3. Add in the eggs and mix in until combined
  4. Add in the remainder of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix well (including the carrots)
  5. In a second bowl, measure out the dry ingredients and mix together (this includes the pecans)
  6. Little by little, add the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the wet ingredients and gently fold
  7. Continue to do this until all of the ingredients are combined
  8. When the batter is ready, line two 20cm cake tins with greaseproof baking paper (to prevent any leaks/sticking of the batter)
  9. Bake the cakes for 35 minutes (or until golden)
  10. Once the cakes are finished baking, keep them in the tins to cool completely before removing as they will be fragile (about 1 hour cooling time)
To make the white chocolate buttercream
  1. Whilst the cakes are cooling, beat together the butter and icing together until a smooth but slightly stiff cream forms
  2. Using the Bain-Marie method, melt the 1 Tbsp butter with the white chocolate until it becomes molten
  3. Gently fold in the cream cheese, vanilla extract and melted white chocolate into the buttercream until it is fully combined
  4. You may need to leave the cream to set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before use if too soft
Cake assembly
  1. Carefully remove the sponges from the tins
  2. Place one of the cake sponges on a flat surface
  3. Spread about 1/2 of the buttercream mixture onto the top of the first sponge layer using a palette knife
  4. Place the 2nd sponge on top of the buttercream (do not panic if there are any gaps in the cream - this will be filled in next)
  5. Add extra buttercream between the layers where required so it is an even spread with no gaps
  6. Spread the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake and smooth with the palette knife
  7. Evenly coat the top buttercream layer with some cinnamon
  8. Evenly distribute the pecans on the top layer of the cake
  9. Grab a slice and enjoy!

Notes

  • To make your own apple sauce: bake some skinless apples and blend until a thick liquid consistency
  • Storage: air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week or on the counter for 3-5 days