Name: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ⅓ cup Carrot, freshly grated, tightly packed; ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour, maida; ⅛ cup Whole Wheat Flour, atta (gives rustic texture); ¼ cup Brown Sugar, or jaggery powder, for moisture and color; ⅛ cup Neutral Oil; ⅛ cup Indian-Style Yogurt, thick yogurt, room temperature; 1 tbsp Milk; ¼ tsp Baking Powder; ⅛ tsp Baking Soda; ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon; ⅛ tsp Nutmeg Powder; ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract; ⅛ cup Walnuts, chopped; 40 g Cream Cheese, softened, for frosting; 15 g Unsalted Butter, softened, for frosting; ¼ cup Powdered Sugar, for frosting

1 hr 20 mintotal

1 hr hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the curd, brown sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until the sugar dissolves and the wet mixture is smooth.
Place a sieve over the bowl. Add maida, wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet mix.
Fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
Fold in the freshly grated carrots and chopped walnuts. The batter will be quite thick and chunky.
Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined cake pan. Smooth the top.
Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes. Check with a toothpick; it should come out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
35–40 min
Prepare the Frosting: Use an electric beater to whip the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until fluffy and thick.
Once the carrot cake is cool, spread a thick rustic layer of cream cheese frosting over the top.
Garnish with a few extra chopped walnuts. Slice and serve.

How to tell it's done

The crumb should be moist and lightly dense, with carrot strands, walnut crunch and a smooth tangy frosting.

Getting it right

Tip

Grate carrots fresh and frost only after the cake cools. Packaged dry shreds give less moisture, and warm cake melts the frosting.

What to serve it with

Serve with black coffee, masala chai or spiced tea as a winter dessert or tea cake.

Common mistakes

The cake dries out or the frosting turns runny.: Measure the flour lightly, use fresh grated carrots and wait until the cake is cool before frosting.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerate frosted carrot cake covered for up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months and frost after thawing.

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Ingredients