I love carrot cake-it always gives me a healthy feeling even after I’ve finished off half of the cake. Healthy for the eyes, but definitely not for my figure.

Most of the carrot cake recipes that I’ve come across have either been too dry or too seasoned, and until recently I thought that there just wasn’t a perfect carrot cake. Last month I got a shipment of cookbooks I ordered, and among them was the lovely cookbook “Breakfast, Lunch,Tea” of the Rose Bakery, a Parisian café( with an English baker). Their flagship cake is of course their carrot cake, and the book, which I highly recommend is filled with lots of other great recipes.

After a long look at the photos and a shorter glance at the recipes, I decided to first try the carrot cake and I was surprised to find out that the cake calls for nine carrots! In relation to the carrot

cakes I’ve made before, nine carrots seemed like a lot! I was not dissuaded and I decided to give the carrot cake a chance, and I was not sorry about it- thanks to the large amount of carrots, the cake comes out juicy and especially rich. I found my perfect carrot cake.

Don’t skip out on the icing- I’m not the hugest fan of cake icing (especially when they are full of butter), it always just seems to me like unnecessary calories, but this icing really does add to the cake.

The cake comes out pretty high and heavy so I suggest baking it in a 10 inch round cake pan (the photographed caked was baked in an 8 inch cake pan).

Ingredients for 10 inch round cake pan:

4 eggs

1 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon sugar

1¼ cups canola oil

9 medium carrots, peeled and grated

2 cups + 1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3.5 ounces (100 grams) walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the Icing:

3/4 stick butter, softened (taken out of the fridge about 2 hours before baking)

8 oz. cream cheese

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Line the cake pan with parchment paper and grease with oil spray (both the edges of the pan and the paper).
3. Using a mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar on low speed until lightly fluffy. Add the oil and whisk together for another 2 minutes. Fold in the carrots, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt until the mixture is smooth. Add the walnuts and fold until they are incorporated. Pour the batter evenly into the cake pan.
4. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the center is cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until the cake has reached room temperature.
5. To make the icing: using a mixer, whisk together the butter and cream cheese until soft and fluffy. (If the mixture is lumpy then it mean that the butter was not soft enough-you can place the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds and that should solve the problem).
6. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and whisk for another minute.
7. Evenly spread the icing on the cake. (The icing should be cold-if not, then let it chill in the fridge for a half hour before using).