French food Friday - Rose's Carrot Cake

Rose's bakery has been rated as one of the best places to eat in Paris and her carrot cake is one of the best selling items on the menu.

I have been wanting to try this for a very long  time now and finally got around to making it earlier in the week.

French Boyfriend, French neighbours and our guests  have all said that they love it. I personally love the cream cheese icing and I was happy to find Philadelphia Cream Cheese in our local supermarket.

If you do not want to make one cake, it makes fabulous cupcakes.


Serves 8

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, for greasing
4 eggs
225 g (generous 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar*
300 ml (11/2 cups) sunflower oil
4-5 medium carrots, finely grated
300 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 g (1 1/2 cups) finely chopped walnuts
For the icing
125 g (generous 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
250 g (generous 1 cup) cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
50-75 g (1/2 - 3/4 cup) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, depending on how sweet you like your icing.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Butter a 23 cm (9 inch) cake tin* and line its base with parchment paper.

3. Beat the eggs and caster sugar until they are light and fluffy but not too white and meringue-like.
4. Pour in the oil and beat for a few more minutes.
5. Fold the carrots and then the flour with the cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Finally fold in the walnuts.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the tin before taking it out.
8. To make the icing, beat the butter with the cream cheese for a few minutes till the mixture is smooth.
9. Add the vanilla extract and icing sugar.
10. When the cake is cold, ice the top with the icing – it can be as smooth or rough as you like.

Notes/
 I  replaced the caster sugar with raw sugar and used organic wholemeal flour as this is what I have used in the past when making carrot cakes.
I did not make one cake, instead I made two mini cakes and had enough mixture left to make 9 cupcakes.

bon vendredi à tous, Leeann