I was never really a fan of carrot cakes all these while probably because I never had any good experience eating a good carrot cake out there. Maybe the thought of eating a “vegetable” cake deterred me from wanting to try this out compared to chocolate cakes or cheese cakes. Anyway, not any longer ever since we got ourselves a Fagor oven in our new house. Carrot cake rocks! More so when it is topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and eaten slightly chilled.
My wife made this a couple of weeks back and I’m now a fan of carrot cakes. Moist and nutritious, this carrot cake is laden with freshly grated carrots, sweetened pineapples, oven-toasted walnuts and plump raisins. I think the best part that there is no mixer involved (with a little caveat that a mixer would be required to prepare the frosting). Just get yourself a big bowl and spatula and give it a good mix ala manual 
What makes this carrot cake so special that I have decided to call it the Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe? Well, it’s been handed down from my mother-in-law to my wife, it tastes good as reported by many who have tasted this and most of all, one piece is never enough. Need I say more? 
This is my mother-in-law’s recipe for Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 240 grammes carrots (grated)
- 120 grammes pineapples (tinned, drained and chopped)
- 60 grammes raisins (lightly chopped)
- 60 grammes walnuts (toasted, cooled and chopped coarsely)
- 240 grammes self-raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg powder
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence (add to eggs)
- 3 eggs
- 210 grammes castor sugar
- 180 ml cooking oil
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 60 grammes butter (room temperature)
- 230 grammes cream cheese (room temperature)
- 230 grammes icing sugar (sifted)
- 1 lemon (grate the skin)
Method
Sift the flour with soda and baking powder. Add castor sugar.
Whisk eggs until frothy in a separate bowl. Add in vanilla essence.
Pour egg mixture into the flour and stir well. Then add grated carrots followed by cooking oil. Add in the chopped pineapples and stir well.
Then add in the raisins and walnuts.
Pour mixture into a greased and floured tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to stand to cool before applying frosting.
Frosting
Put cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on low speed till blended. Gradually add icing sugar (sifted) and continue beating until smooth.
Add vanilla essence and grated lemon and allow to beat till well combined.
