Ottolenghi Carrot Cake Recipe

This caramel twist on the Ottolenghi carrot cake recipe is a beautifully moist cake filled with healthy carrots, warm spices and layered with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Adding caramel with caramelized pecans to the chef's recipe takes the cake to a new level. Try it today!

If you have been looking for the best carrot cake recipe, here is the answer.

It is a carrot cake with a twist on Ottoleghi's classic: fruit-free, not overspiced, and incredibly moist cake.

The experiment resulted in an absolutely delicious caramel carrot cake. The cream cheese frosting and added salted caramel gave it the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors. Pecans brought up another layer on top as well.

But if you want to try something new and interesting but still hold on tightly with your taste for comfort's cake - this Italian carrot cake is perfect.

It is warm-spices-free and represents all the carrot cakes' simplicity and Italian authenticity.

Why you should try this recipe

This carrot cake is so simple to make; you will want it for your birthday, as an afternoon snack, or anytime.

It is super moist due to sunflower oil and grated carrots - ingredients that provide prime moisture for the cake.

The cake has a make-ahead option, and its maximum flavors get released the next day. Doesn't it sound wonderful?

This cake will impress you no matter how advanced or beginner bakers you are. It is incredibly easy and doesn't require any special skills.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Also, read How To Make A Cake Moist.

Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

Baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents.

Spices: use a mix of ground cinnamon and ground cloves to make the recipe.

Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs. To separate egg whites from the yolks, use chilled eggs and an egg separator. Then bring the eggs to room temperature before starting.

Sunflower oil: use sunflower oil, but you can replace it with flavorless grapeseed oil if desired.

Sugar: the recipe calls for granulated sugar or caster sugar.

Pecans: use raw pecans or candied pecans. You can also replace them with walnuts.

Coconut: use shredded coconut to make the recipe or replace it with the same amount of raisins.

Carrots: grate carrots finely, using the small shred of a grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor.

Try to avoid store-bought shredded carrots since they are thick and dry.

Keep grated/shredded carrots in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Make this step yourself a day ahead of time.

Salt: it enhances the flavors of the cake.

Icing sugar: you can make it at home with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Cream cheese: make sure to use cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) at room temperature.

Heavy cream: it is recommended to have at least 36% fat content.

Butter: use unsalted butter at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.

Honey: use your favorite honey, but avoid buckwheat honey due to its strong flavor. Use acacia honey as the most neutral one if desired.

How to make Ottolenghi's carrot cake

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F/170 degrees C.

To make the cake batter, sift dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

Whisk the whole egg with one egg yolk in a separate small bowl.

Place sunflower oil and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for one minute, using medium speed (photo 1).

Then decrease speed and add beaten eggs. Add chopped pecans, desiccated coconut, grated carrots, sifted flour/spices mixture, and mix just to combine (photo 2).

Beat egg whites with salt until firm (photo 3).

Carefully add the whites to the main preparation in three times and mix them with a rubber spatula (photo 4).

Grease and layer the bottom and sides of an 8 inch/20 cm round cake pan with parchment paper.

Pour the cake batter into the pan (photo 5) and bake for about 1 hour.

Check the cake's doneness with a toothpick or tester-skewer: the cake is ready if it comes out dry. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool (photo 6).

To caramelize pecans, place pecans and powdered (icing) sugar in a non-stick frying pan (photo 7).

Heat the pan over medium heat and mix with a wooden spatula until nuts are covered with caramel.

Transfer pecans on parchment paper and let cool (photo 8). Chop nuts into medium-sized pieces.

To make the salted caramel, heat granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, shaking the pan over the stove.

Sugar will start forming clumps that will eventually melt into a golden-colored caramel.

Remove the pan from heat, add the butter cut into small cubes, and stir.

Add warm heavy cream (be careful of the splash) and bring it to cook for about one minute. Remove from heat and mix one pinch of salt (photo 9).

To make the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese at room temperature in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer.

Whisk softened butter, icing sugar, and honey in a separate bowl. Add this mixture to cream cheese and whisk again (photo 10).

To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake from the pan and cut it horizontally with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.

Mix the caramel with two-thirds of the chopped caramelized pecans.

Cover the first cake layer with half of the cream cheese frosting and caramel/pecan mixture (photo 11).

Place the second cake layer, cover the remaining cream cheese frosting, folding waves on top.

Sprinkle with the remaining chopped caramelized pecans (photo 12).

Recipe variations

The single layer of this easy treat featuring the cream cheese frosting and topped with extra strips of candied carrots is a simplified version of this carrot cake.

Cream cheese frosting is a classic, but try the whipped cream if you look for a different type of frosting.

Whisk whipping cream with one tablespoon of icing sugar until firm and spread on the carrot cake.

If the cream isn't your thing, there is another non-cream alternative: choose vanilla buttercream instead.

If you want to go with a lighter taste, make your own lemon glaze. Just mix 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons or 150 g icing sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of water. The acidity from the fruit will perfectly complement this cake.

But dusting your carrot cake with a veil of powdered sugar and arranging candied carrots on top is probably the simplest decoration your cake needs.

Storing and freezing

Store the carrot cake unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can enjoy it longer, up to 7 if stored refrigerated.

The frosted cake is best if refrigerated for about a week.

Can you freeze carrot cake? Yes, absolutely! Cover the unfrosted cake with double plastic wrap and place it in a freezing bag or an airtight container. Freeze the cake for up to 2-3 months.

To thaw, leave the cake in the refrigerator overnight. Then, decorate your cake in the way you desire.

Expert tips

1. Use store-bought caramel and candied pecans if they're not available on your own time.
2. Make sure the cream cheese (not cream cheese spread) is at room temperature.
3. Cover top of the cake with foil if it starts getting dark during baking.
4. Bake the cake one day in advance, wrap it in plastic film and refrigerate. The next day, assemble the cake and let it chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving. 

Frequently asked questions

Love carrot desserts? Try these next!

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://ottolenghi.co.uk/. It was originally published on November 10, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.