Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian, Nut-Free Optional
Equipment
- Oven
- Fridge
- Mixing Bowl x3
- 20cm Cake Tin x2
- Mixing Spoon x3
- Whisk
- Weighing Scales
- Greaseproof Paper
- Saucepan
- Heat-proof bowl
- Palette knife
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
Instructions
To make the carrot cake sponge
- Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees (fan)
- Beat together the sugar and butter, in a bowl, until smooth and creamy
- Add in the eggs and mix in until combined
- Add in the remainder of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix well (including the carrots)
- In a second bowl, measure out the dry ingredients and mix together (this includes the pecans)
- Little by little, add the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the wet ingredients and gently fold
- Continue to do this until all of the ingredients are combined
- When the batter is ready, line two 20cm cake tins with greaseproof baking paper (to prevent any leaks/sticking of the batter)
- Bake the cakes for 35 minutes (or until golden)
- 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
- Whilst the cakes are cooling, beat together the butter and icing together until a smooth but slightly stiff cream forms
- Using the Bain-Marie method, melt the 1 Tbsp butter with the white chocolate until it becomes molten
- Gently fold in the cream cheese, vanilla extract and melted white chocolate into the buttercream until it is fully combined
- You may need to leave the cream to set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before use if too soft
Cake assembly
- Carefully remove the sponges from the tins
- Place one of the cake sponges on a flat surface
- Spread about 1/2 of the buttercream mixture onto the top of the first sponge layer using a palette knife
- 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)
- Add extra buttercream between the layers where required so it is an even spread with no gaps
- Spread the remaining buttercream over the top of the cake and smooth with the palette knife
- Evenly coat the top buttercream layer with some cinnamon
- Evenly distribute the pecans on the top layer of the cake
- 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