Last year Harriet spent a considerable time refining the perfect carrot cake, and this inevitably meant we had to taste test many! You would think this would mean I’d be sick of the carrot cake combo, but it’s not the case.
The traditional carrot cake uses oil which, along with the carrot, makes a super moist cake. In this loaf (you could easily make it a cake), butter is used, but instead of creaming with the sugar you melt it until golden and this adds a wonderful flavour to the loaf. Add to this the subtle touch of spice, you’ll be going back for more than one slice.
200g butter, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
3 cups grated carrot (approx. 3 medium carrots)
Butterscotch Icing
25g butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cream
¾ cup icing sugar
Melt the butter in a medium size pot. Once melted it will begin to foam. Allow it to do this for 5–10 minutes, stirring often until the butter is golden brown. Note the foam colour is deceptive, so you are looking for the liquid butter colour to change. Once golden, take off the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Mix the sugar and spices in a large bowl, add the eggs and, using an electric mixer, beat until pale and thick. Add the burnt butter in a slow and steady stream as you continue to beat. Fold in the flour then the carrot.
Transfer the mix to a lined loaf tin (approx. 24cm x 13 cm) and bake at 180°C for 40–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool before icing.
To make the icing
To make the icing, melt the butter and brown sugar in a small pot, then add the cream. Stir and allow to simmer for 2–3 minutes. Take off the heat and mix in the icing sugar.
Pour the icing over the cooled loaf and allow to set before slicing.
