This is very different from the richly sweet, loftily layered and aerated American original with its ginger-spiked cream cheese icing .
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine sea salt
175g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
200ml vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
200g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
100g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
75g crystallised ginger, finely chopped (Before you chop the amber dice of crystallised ginger, rub the cubes between your fingers to remove excess sugar.
Then chop them finely, though not obsessively.)
For the icing
100g soft unsalted butter
100g icing sugar, sieved if lumpy
1 tsp corn flour
100g full-fat cream cheese, fridge-cold
1 tbsp coarsely grated fresh ginger
To decorate
25g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
25g crystallised ginger, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 170c/335F/gas mark 3.
Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.
Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb, ground ginger and salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork.
Beat the sugar, eggs and oil in another large bowl until completely mixed together, then gradually add the flour mixture, scraping the bowl to rescue and incorporate any flour clinging to the edges.
At this stage, the mixture may seem alarmingly stiff, but the carrots will loosen it up.
So, beat in the carrots, then fold in 100g prepared walnuts and 75g crystallised ginger, until everything is evenly combined.
Spoon and scrape into the prepared cake tin.
Don’t worry if it looks as if you haven’t got nearly enough batter, because the cake will rise well as it bakes.
Smooth the top and pop in the oven (this is when to make the icing: see the next step) for 45–55 minutes.
When it’s ready, the cake will be set and golden brown on top, beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin, and a cake tester will come out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in its tin.
As soon as the cake’s in the oven, get on with the icing.
Beat together the butter and icing sugar and, when creamily combined, beat in the corn flour, followed by half the cream cheese.
Once that’s incorporated, beat in the remaining half.
Be careful at all times not to over-beat or the icing will get too runny.
Starting with the grated ginger on a plate, get out a piece of kitchen roll and, moving quickly, spoon the grated ginger into the centre, bring up the edges of the paper, holding them together to form a little swag bag, and press on it over the bowl to squeeze out the intense ginger juice.
Beat this into the frosting bowl.
Cover with cling-film and refrigerate.
When the cake is completely cold, take the icing out of the fridge for about 20 minutes, by which time it will have softened to a still thick but spreadable consistency.
Beat briefly to help this along and make sure it’s smooth.
Unclip and release the cake from its tin, unmoulding it, and sit it on a cake stand or plate.
Spread the frosting on top, swirling it a little, then sprinkle the chopped walnuts and ginger on top.
From Nigella Lawson.
- Ginger and walnut carrot cake recipe - BBC Food
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine sea salt
175g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
200ml vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
200g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
100g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
75g crystallised ginger, finely chopped (Before you chop the amber dice of crystallised ginger, rub the cubes between your fingers to remove excess sugar.
Then chop them finely, though not obsessively.)
For the icing
100g soft unsalted butter
100g icing sugar, sieved if lumpy
1 tsp corn flour
100g full-fat cream cheese, fridge-cold
1 tbsp coarsely grated fresh ginger
To decorate
25g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
25g crystallised ginger, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 170c/335F/gas mark 3.
Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.
Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb, ground ginger and salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork.
Beat the sugar, eggs and oil in another large bowl until completely mixed together, then gradually add the flour mixture, scraping the bowl to rescue and incorporate any flour clinging to the edges.
At this stage, the mixture may seem alarmingly stiff, but the carrots will loosen it up.
So, beat in the carrots, then fold in 100g prepared walnuts and 75g crystallised ginger, until everything is evenly combined.
Spoon and scrape into the prepared cake tin.
Don’t worry if it looks as if you haven’t got nearly enough batter, because the cake will rise well as it bakes.
Smooth the top and pop in the oven (this is when to make the icing: see the next step) for 45–55 minutes.
When it’s ready, the cake will be set and golden brown on top, beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin, and a cake tester will come out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in its tin.
As soon as the cake’s in the oven, get on with the icing.
Beat together the butter and icing sugar and, when creamily combined, beat in the corn flour, followed by half the cream cheese.
Once that’s incorporated, beat in the remaining half.
Be careful at all times not to over-beat or the icing will get too runny.
Starting with the grated ginger on a plate, get out a piece of kitchen roll and, moving quickly, spoon the grated ginger into the centre, bring up the edges of the paper, holding them together to form a little swag bag, and press on it over the bowl to squeeze out the intense ginger juice.
Beat this into the frosting bowl.
Cover with cling-film and refrigerate.
When the cake is completely cold, take the icing out of the fridge for about 20 minutes, by which time it will have softened to a still thick but spreadable consistency.
Beat briefly to help this along and make sure it’s smooth.
Unclip and release the cake from its tin, unmoulding it, and sit it on a cake stand or plate.
Spread the frosting on top, swirling it a little, then sprinkle the chopped walnuts and ginger on top.
From Nigella Lawson.
- Ginger and walnut carrot cake recipe - BBC Food
