The Most Amazing Amaretto Carrot Cake

This recipe makes a delicious spiced carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. The carrot cake is full of spices and the amaretto (an idea I took from my mother) gives the cake an extra special flavour.

This cake is ideal for afternoon tea or an after dinner treat and is definitely sure to impress. The cake is light and moist and is adaptable to any other ingredients that you may want to add including walnuts, ground almonds or desiccated coconut. The hardest part to making this cake is to stop after eating one piece.

Ingredients for Amaretto Carrot Cake

For the carrot cake

• 290g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 180ml vegetable oil
• 4 medium eggs
• 150ml sour cram
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 100ml amaretto
• 160g soft brown sugar
• 150g golden granulated sugar (white granulated sugar is fine)
• 350g grated carrots

For the cream cheese frosting

• 150g unsalted butter
• 250g cream cheese
• 600g icing sugar

Decoration

• 60g chopped pecans

How to Make Amaretto Carrot Cake

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350^of/180^oc and line two 23cm/9-inch cake tins with baking paper. Begin by grating the carrots and setting aside. In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (self-raising flour, bicarbonate soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt).

2. Whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, amaretto, brown sugar and golden granulated sugar until well combined then add the grated carrots and continue to beat until the carrots are well incorporated. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and continue to beat until all the ingredients are well combined and ensuring not to over mix.

3. Distribute the cake batter equally between the 2 baking tins. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the tins and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

4. Once the cakes have cooled, use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to beat or whisk the butter until creamy and fluffy, add the cream cheese and continue to beat, slowly incorporate the icing sugar until it has all combined and set aside.

5. If needed, level cakes then place one of the cakes on a turntable or cake stand. Spread some frosting on top and spread out equally using a palette knife. Lay the second cake on top and spread the rest of the frosting on and around the whole cake. Decorate with chopped pecans.

Recipe Tips

• I used two 23cm/9inch cake tins but If you’d prefer your cake to be deeper then you can use two 20cm/8inch cake tins instead.
• The Amaretto gives the cake a delicious nutty flavour but feel free to omit without changing the recipe.
• If you want your cream cheese frosting extra thick then you can add more icing sugar than I use.
• For the decoration, pecan or walnuts are fine to use.
• When frosting the cake, if you find that crumbs from the cake are mixing into the frosting on the cake then lay a thin coat of frosting on the cake, refrigerate for 30 minutes then put a second layer of frosting on the cake. This should give it a cleaner finish.

Nutrition

Calories	Fat	Saturates	Carbs
270kcal	12.2g	4.65g	35.6g
Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
29.5g	0.75g	2.3g	0.17g

Storage

• Due to the cream cheese frosting this cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator and can last for up to 3 days. Store in an airtight container.
• Once frosted it can stand at room temperature for 2 hours before being refrigerated.
• If the weather is hot or humid then store in the fridge immediately until serving.
• Ensure you bring the cake to room temperature before serving from the fridge.
• Unfrosted cake can be wrapped and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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