Carrot Cake With Light Mascarpone Cheese Icing

It seems traditional bakes are making a come-back during lockdown. Banana loaf, victoria sponge, scones or brownies are just a few examples of what pops up on my social media feed practically every day. The lemon loaf recipe I posted a few weeks ago is still being made by you my lovely bakers; I just got another photo from someone yesterday which made me grin from ear to ear yet again!

Quite a few of you have recently asked for a recipe for carrot cake. I must admit there was a time in my life when I would make carrot cake A LOT in my classes as well as for all sorts of private social occasions, birthdays etc. I must have had a slight overload and fallen out of love with it as I haven’t made it for a good few years now. Encouraged by my husband’s friend who whipped up his first ever cake a couple of weeks ago (yes, it was my lemon loaf!, she says feeling rather satisfied 😊), I dug out my old recipe, tweaked it a bit and here it is. If you’re new to baking and don’t have an electric mixer yet, you’ll be pleased to know that every step of this recipe can be done just using a bowl and a good old-fashioned whisk. That includes icing! I love using mascarpone cheese in icing rather than the traditional cream cheese and butter. Its texture is so much lighter and in my opinion it compliments this naturally rich, moist cake beautifully. All you have to remember is to use COLD mascarpone cheese and COLD whipping cream straight from the fridge. Don’t leave it lying around on the counter. Cold fat in the cheese and cream will help bind the icing nicely and you’ll end up with a beautiful, light texture which spreads incredibly easily. No runny or curdled texture, thank you very much. Sift the icing sugar to remove any lumps. Another addition of mine is orange zest – add it to the icing for a bit of fresh citrusy tang.

I’m using two types of sugar, however light brown sugar can be substituted with caster sugar, granulated sugar or golden caster sugar. As long as you have 350g of sugar in total, you’re fine. I sometimes like to use mixed spice instead of just cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Walnuts can be substituted with other nuts such as pecans or hazelnuts. Almonds work too, however bear in mind that the flavour will be much subtler and more delicate.

Some recipes call for raisins so feel free to add about 100g right at the end when you’re folding in the carrots. You can also sprinkle some nuts or almonds on top. Use organic carrots if you can, they’re much sweeter than the regular ones.

Finally, you can turn this cake into cupcakes! The whole batter makes whooping 30 cupcakes so divide the recipe in half and you’ll have 15 of them. Make sure you spoon the batter only until the cupcake cases are two thirds full to allow enough room for rising. Bake for 20-25 min until brown and well-risen.

Without a further ado here it comes!

Carrot Cake With Light Mascarpone Cheese Icing

No electric mixer necessary!

Ingredients

(rectangular baking tin about 23 cm x 33 cm or round 23 cm in diameter or 30 cupcakes)

• 250g plain flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 175g light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1 generous teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (or 1 ½ ground mixed spice for a slightly different flavour)
• 4 eggs
• 250ml vegetable oil
• 300g carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 120g walnuts, chopped very finely

For the icing:

• 250ml whipping cream
• 120g mascarpone cheese
• 75g icing sugar
• 1 generous teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Grated zest of one orange (optional)

Method

1. Start off by greasing and lining the baking tin. Preheat the oven to 175°C/gas mark 4. In a bowl combine most of your dry ingredients: the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, spices and walnuts.
2. In a separate bowl crack the eggs, add the sugars and whisk vigorously by hand for 2 minutes until you notice the colour is slightly paler and the volume has increased. (If you’re using an electric mixer beat on medium speed for just under a minute. There’s no need to do it for longer.)
3. Add about a third of the oil, whisk for half a minute, then repeat until all of the oil is gone. Apply a bit of elbow grease for this, you may need to swap hands half-way through! (For the electric mixer, beat on medium speed for just half a minute.)
4. Using a spatula fold in the carrots. Mix gently, then follow with the dry ingredients. Stir several times until all ingredients are well combined.
5. Transfer the batter into the tin and bake for 50 minutes or until the cake is brown, risen and comes away from the sides. If you’re unsure, stick a skewer or a toothpick into the middle; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Leave to cool completely before applying the icing.
6. For the icing – place the mascarpone cheese in a medium bowl and pour in the whipping cream. Add the vanilla, icing sugar and orange zest, if using. Stir gently a few times to incorporate the icing sugar then beat by hand for 3-5 minutes. Don’t worry if at the beginning the icing looks very runny, it’ll suddenly thicken up towards the end and you’ll be rewarded with that perfect creamy, yet light consistency. I love seeing that happen, baking chemistry at its best! If you’re going for the electric mixer, start whipping on a low speed for about half a minute, then turn it to medium.
7. Spread the icing evenly all over the cooled cake and put the kettle on.

Spread the love if you enjoyed this recipe – give me a like, leave a comment or both. Tag me on Facebook @riseandshinebaking or Instagram @riseandshine_baking and don’t forget to use hashtag #bakewithriseandshine. Thank you and happy baking!