Carrot cake with orange syrup

An orange and brandy syrup brushed onto the cake makes this wonderfully moist.

Carrot cake. Credit: Mark Moriarty: Off Duty Chef

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 125 ml coconut oil
• 100 g caster sugar
• 75 g brown sugar
• 140 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest of ½ orange
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and finely grated (if you have carrot tops, you can use these to decorate the cake)
• 25 g walnuts, toasted and chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 25 g dates, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Syrup

• 200 ml fresh orange juice
• 100 ml brandy
• 100 g brown sugar

Icing

• 320 g cream cheese
• 60 g icing sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper (parchment) and preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, caster and brown sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and grated orange zest and stir until a wet batter is formed.
3. Finish the batter by folding in the carrot, walnuts, dates and vanilla extract.
4. Pour into the pre-lined loaf tin, and bake for 40 minutes. Check the cake is cooked – a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.
5. Invert out of tin onto a wire rack, remove paper and allow to cool (leaving the cake upside down).
6. Place the orange juice, brandy and brown sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil.
7. Whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon until a smooth and thick icing is formed.
8. Once the cake has cooled, slice in half horizontally using a serrated knife, then spoon some of the syrup over the cut side of both halves. (Don’t go crazy with the syrup – you want it to be moist, but not so moist that the cake falls apart).
9. Spread a layer of the icing on the bottom half then sandwich the cake back together. Using a piping bag and nozzle, decorate the top of the cake with the remaining icing. Garnish with carrot tops and walnuts.
10. Slice and serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.