I love a good carrot cake. The recipe is always easy, no need for a mixer, and can be adapted quite a lot too.
This most recent adaptation came about when it suddenly occurred to me that quince syrup could be substituted for the usual honey/golden syrup often used in carrot cakes. I buy sticky quince syrup from Singing Magpie Produce, and I’m not sure if there is anyone else who produces a similar product.
While I highly recommend buying from Singing Magpie Produce, if you are outside Australia or wish for another alternative, date syrup/molasses can be used instead. In fact I’m sure many other fruit based syrups/molasses could be trailed in a recipe like this. I just wouldn’t try pomegranate molasses, as it would be too tart.
Using a product such as quince syrup rather than honey or something similar, allows the cake to be less sweet - though the buttercream here makes up for that! However the combination is quite nice as they compliment each other. This is also a nice cake without icing too if you want to keep it as it is.
You could make this cake an Easter carrot cake by decorating with small Easter eggs or similar.
Carrot Cake with Quince Syrup and Spiced Buttercream
Ingredients:
75g panela or brown sugar
125ml canola or vegetable oil
125ml quince syrup (I use this one)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom
3 medium carrots, grated
For the icing:
150g unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
190g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 20cm round springform cake tin.
In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, quince syrup, eggs and vanilla.
Then add the flour, baking powder and spices. Sift in the bicarb soda and whisk together until combined.
Then add the grated carrots to the cake mixture and mix to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
Remove the outer edge of the cake tin and allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing, beat the butter and vanilla in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for at least 1 minute, or until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add the icing sugar and spices and beat for a further minute or two, or until the icing sugar is well combined and the icing is light and fluffy.
Spread the icing over the cake.
Serves 8-10.
