100 g walnuts or pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
Cream Cheese Frosting
200 g full-fat cream cheese, cold
80 g unsalted butter, softened
300 g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of ½ orange (optional)
Steps Overview
Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine with carrots and nuts
Bake in two 20 cm tins
Cool completely before frosting
Make cream cheese frosting, sandwich and coat
Decorate with toasted walnuts
Step-by-Step
1. Mix and bake
Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease and line two 20 cm round tins. Whisk flour, baking powder, bicarb, spices, and salt. In another bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until combined. Fold wet into dry until just combined. Fold in carrots and nuts.
2. Bake
Divide between the tins. Bake for 35–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tins 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a rack.
3. Make the frosting
Beat cold cream cheese and softened butter until smooth with no lumps — start on low speed. Add icing sugar in two additions and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and orange zest if using. Do not over-beat or the frosting can become too soft.
4. Assemble
Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting. Top with the second cake. Frost the top and sides. Decorate with toasted walnut halves.
Notes
Cold cream cheese prevents the frosting from splitting. If it splits, refrigerate for 10 minutes and beat again briefly.
Grate carrots finely — large shreds can make the crumb uneven.
The cake layers can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated, wrapped well.
For a naked cake look, apply a thin crumb coat, refrigerate 30 minutes, then add the final layer.
