Carrot, pineapple and walnut cake with cream cheese topping
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 12
- Dietary
- Pregnancy-friendlyVegetarian
Chopped tinned pineapple adds sweetness and moisture to this easy carrot cake. Store in the fridge once iced so that the topping stays firm.
For this recipe you will need a 23cm/9in spring-form cake tin.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 240g/9oz soft light brown sugar
- 200ml/7fl oz vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 250g/8oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 325g/11½oz carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (you’ll need 275g/8oz prepared carrot)
- 75g/2½oz walnut halves, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 227g/8oz can pineapple slices in juice, drained and roughly chopped
For the topping
- 100g/3½oz very soft butter
- 175g/6oz icing sugar, sifted
- 250g/9oz mascarpone
- 50ml/2fl oz soured cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 unwaxed lemons, finely grated zest only
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line the base and sides of a 23cm/9in spring-form cake tin with baking paper and grease lightly.
Beat the eggs and brown sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in the oil until combined.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the pineapple, and beat together. Stir in the pineapple pieces.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 55–65 minutes, or until well risen and fully cooked. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
Use an electric whisk to beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and smooth. Beat in the mascarpone. Fold in the soured cream, vanilla and lemon zest (reserving some for decoration, if you like) until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Use a piping bag to pipe the icing over the top or spread with a spatula. Store the cake in the fridge.
