Easy Lime Frosted Carrot Cake with Walnuts

Are you looking for a moist but light, exceptionally quick and easy, gloriously tasty, lime frosted carrot cake recipe? Then you have come to the right place!

This carrot cake recipe is really easy and simple and will provide you with a really gorgeous cake. I should know, I've been using it for the last 30 years...! Oh my that makes me feel proper old.

My only modification of late has been to add some lime to the frosting, this gives it a gentle but evident lime zing which sits nicely against the sweetness of the cake.

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This cake is:

• moist yet light;
• has a warm cinnamon infused spicyness;
• is topped a soft creamy frosting, with a hint of lime.

So long ago...

Back in the day (I am talking the 80s) carrot cake was quite a novel idea. A cake. Made with carrots. What madness is this?? We had watched Neighbours and it seemed to be a 'thing' down under. (Actually now researching it Google informs me carrot cake originated from Europe in the Middle Ages when carrots were used to sweeten cakes). But, we had seen it in "Daphne's Café" no less and were curious to see what the fuss was all about.

So young teenage me found a recipe and made this weird concoction of a cake and it was a total hit with everyone! We marvelled at how a cake containing such an odd ingredient could be so tasty, moist and sweet and not really taste of carrot at all. Which was something of a relief.

Had we known the possibilities of cakes contrived from such ingredients as beetroot or courgette were too a possibility our minds may surely have exploded.

I have tried and tested other carrot cake recipes over the years but just keep coming back to this little beauty because it just always delivers.

Why does this easy lime frosted carrot cake recipe work so well?

Because it's simple and easy and doesn't requires loads of ingredients. Job done.

Also, it contains just enough dry to wet ingredients to ensure the cake is not overly moist.

And...

The frosting is divine. Use very soft butter to make the frosting, otherwise you will find lumps of butter in your finished icing. Not good. I use spreadable butter which gives the frosting a lovely silkiness. Beat the butter and cream cheese together first until combined, then add in your lime juice and then your sifted icing sugar.

 Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.

Jim Davis - Author

Other variations of carrot cake

You can add 50g of chopped pecans or walnuts if you like. The only reason I don't is because my lot don't like carrot cakes with nuts. So, because personally I feel nuts of some sort should find their way into a carrot cake, I decorate with walnut halves.

Important to remember when making easy lime frosted carrot cake

Make sure your eggs are at room temperature: eggs bake better at room temperature because:

• eggs break down more easily when they are not cold;
• they combine better with the other ingredient components;
• room temperature eggs produce a lighter and fluffier texture.

Use fresh carrots, not pre-prepared ones: this cake needs the moisture from the carrots and pre-prepared carrots tend to be a bit dry.

Beat your eggs and sift your flour: this adds extra air and ensures a lightness to the cake.

Line your cake tin: this is a moist cake and will stick to your tin otherwise.

How to make easy lime frosted carrot cake

Another very easy and quick recipe.

Line your tin with greaseproof paper.

Take your eggs out of the fridge and and allow to come to room temperature for about half an hour.

Weight out all of your ingredients.

Add your caster sugar to your mixing bowl then sift all of the other dry ingredients on top.

Give everything a whizz to ensure the mixture is combined.

Add in your oil, give the mixture a whizz to combine, then add in your beaten eggs.

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Beat on a medium setting for about 15 seconds to ensure all mixed thoroughly. Beating the eggs and sifting the flour beforehand adds air so you just need to mix everything together until combined.

Fold in your grated carrots. To fold turn the mixture over on itself gently rather than mixing round, this keeps the air in.

Add to your tin, bake for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to sit in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack, crust side down.

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Take your softened butter and cream cheese and whizz together until combined. if you can use spreadable butter for this as it is guaranteed to be soft and result in a lump free icing and gives a glossy softness to the icing. Add your lime juice and sift in your icing sugar. Mix until combined, then spread onto your cake. You can use the back of desert spoon to spread the icing our evenly.

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I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I have over the years, please send me some comments to let me know how you got on.m

Happy carrot cake baking!