South African Carrot Cake

🧂 Ingredients

🥕 Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional but traditional)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• ½ cup crushed pineapple, well drained (very SA touch)
• ½ cup chopped pecan nuts or walnuts (optional but common)

🧁 Cream Cheese Icing

• 250g full-fat cream cheese (room temperature)
• 100g butter (room temperature)
• 3–4 cups icing sugar (sifted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Squeeze of lemon juice (optional but gives that proper tang)

👩‍🍳 Method

1️⃣ Prepare

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Grease and line two 20cm cake tins (or one large tin).

2️⃣ Dry Ingredients

Sift together:

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Bicarb
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Set aside.

3️⃣ Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl:

1. Beat eggs and sugars until slightly thickened.
2. Slowly add oil while mixing.
3. Add vanilla.

4️⃣ Combine

1. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture.
2. Add grated carrots.
3. Stir in drained pineapple.
4. Add nuts if using.
5. Mix gently — do not overmix.

Batter will be quite thick.

5️⃣ Bake

• Pour into prepared tins.
• Bake for 30–40 minutes (until skewer comes out clean).
• Cool completely before icing.

If using one deep tin, bake 45–55 minutes.

🧁 Cream Cheese Icing Method

1. Beat butter until smooth.
2. Add cream cheese and beat gently (don’t overbeat).
3. Add icing sugar gradually.
4. Add vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Beat until thick and spreadable.

If too soft → chill 20 minutes.

🍰 Assembly

• If using two layers: ice between layers and on top.
• Decorate with chopped nuts or grated carrot curls.

💡 South African Tips

✔ Pineapple makes it extra moist (very local version).
✔ Sunflower oil is traditional (not butter).
✔ Don’t skip cinnamon — SA carrot cake is properly spiced.
✔ It’s meant to be moist and slightly dense, not fluffy like sponge cake.

🧊 Storage

• Keeps 3–4 days in fridge.
• Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Freezes well (without icing).