RECIPE

Sunshine carrot and orange cake with chocolate frosting

Carrot cake doesn’t have to always mean walnuts and raisins. Try this vibrant combination by @brilliantbake, complete with a chocolate cream cheese icing.

Serves: 10
Time: 2hr 15mins
Difficulty: Medium

This vibrant and comforting twist on a carrot cake is the perfect recipe to welcome the colder months ahead. With a neon orange sponge, it’s sure to bring a smile to your guests’ faces. Whole oranges bring plenty of moisture, and the added bonus of a nutritional boost for winter virus season.

"This bright, zesty carrot cake takes inspiration from the Brazilian ‘Bolo de Cenoura’ and Claudia Roden’s famous whole orange cake."

- Katie Smith @brilliantbake

Method

Ingredients

Step 1Begin by cooking the orange. In a small saucepan, cover the orange with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer for 30-45 minutes until completely soft.
Step 2Allow to cool slightly before blitzing in a food processor until you have a smooth puree. Alternatively, in a microwave, place the orange in a large bowl and poke several holes through the skin, cover with clingfilm and heat on medium setting for 5-7 minutes until completely soft. Transfer to a blender, puree and set aside. You will need 100g for the cake, any excess can be frozen (I’ve added some puree when making granola before!)
Step 3Preheat the oven to 150ºC fan/ 170ºC and grease and line your Nest™ Bake Non-Stick 23cm Round Cake Tin with baking paper.
Step 4In a blender, put the carrot pieces, oil, sugar and pureed orange. Blitz until you have a smooth bright orange liquid. Pour into a large bowl and whisk in the eggs, using the Twist 2-in-1 Whisk until combined.
Step 5Sift in the dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of flour remain. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Step 6Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin whilst you prepare the icing.
Step 7For the icing, in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy before adding the icing sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add the cream cheese, cocoa powder and salt and mix to form a smooth, rich icing. Taste for seasoning, the icing should be tangy from the cream cheese and enough salt to balance the chocolate sweetness.
Step 8Once the cake has cooled completely, it’s time to ice! Transfer your cake to a serving plate and dollop the chocolate icing on top. Using a spatula, smooth out the icing all the way to the edges and top with cacao nibs or chocolate sprinkles.