My Favourite Carrot Cake | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why did my carrot cake flop? ›

Too much air and your cake will collapse because it simply can't hold onto all that air. Overbeating can add too much additional air and/or large air bubbles which the cake can't support, causing it to collapse in the oven.

Due to the cream cheese in the frosting which has a high moisture content, this cake needs to be refrigerated. The good news is that since the cake layers are made with oil (not butter), they will remain soft even when cold. Cover the cake well and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

As a result of its complexities, carrot cake needs an ice cream that will help make it shine. Butter pecan adds sweetness to the dessert combo without introducing yet another flavor to the mix.

Carrot cake is thought to have originated in England where housewives used sweet products (e.g carrots) to naturally sweeten their confections during World War II.

Carrots contain pigments that are sensitive to changes in pH balance. When the shreds of carrot come into contact with the alkaline baking soda, a chemical reaction takes place that causes the pigments to change color.

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

With its mellow carrot sweetness, warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and rich, tangy frosting, carrot cake is simply irresistible. This traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of our favorites.

Mold Growth: It is obvious that the cake is no longer safe to consume if you see any mold on it. You should throw out the cake right away since mold might be dangerous to your health.

What you can't do, however, is leave carrot cake out on the counter indefinitely. If you want to keep carrot cake in tip-top shape from beginning to end, the FDA recommends that you don't leave it on the counter for any longer than two hours.

Carrot cake (also known as passion cake) is cake that contains carrots mixed into the batter.

What pairs best with carrot cake? ›

A tasty regional wine that would pair well with carrot cake would be a dessert wine made with Frontenac Blanc or Frontenac Gris. One in particular that comes to mind is Dancing Dragonfly's Hula, an ice wine made from Frontenac Gris grapes.

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks. Cake is one of the best foods to make ahead and freeze. Freezing your cake after you bake it—but before frosting and decorating it—can actually improve the final product.

Carrots, which grow underground and then emerge as vibrant, edible roots, can be seen as a symbol of new life and growth. Therefore, carrot cake, with its use of carrots, can be interpreted as a representation of these Easter themes.

Hopefully you agree that the idea of veggies in your dessert is tastier than it sounds! Warm spices, naturally sweet carrot and cream cheese frosting make this recipe so delicious, it's no wonder carrot cake is so popular around the world.

Carrot cake refers to a glutinous rice flour "cake" that's made from a white radish (or yam if it's yam cake) cut into cubes, wok or pan fried till crispy, then cooked into an egg omelette. The bits of radish cake taste mild and have a soft, pleasant texture.

Remove the cake from the oven, and quickly loosen its edges with a spatula. This will help prevent it from sinking in the center.

Fix: Crumble up the cake and spread it out on a lined baking tray. Bake in a 150°C (130°C fan-forced) until golden and crispy. Allow to cool and use as a topping for desserts – it'll be a delicious extra crunch!

Opening the oven door too early can let cold air in. The cold air can cause the cupcakes to contract or collapse. As a result, maybe the cupcakes just lose some lift, or become denser, or maybe too much cold air got in there, and the temperature change caused the middle of the cupcakes to sink.

Using a Cake Pan That's the Wrong Size or Shape

If a cake pan is too small, the batter may be too deep. It will rise and maybe dome, but if the center is still wet, it will collapse before the structure sets in the center. (It may also spill over the sides of the pan and onto the oven floor, or both!)