Coffee Shop Carrot Cake

Trips to coffee shops with the toddlers are a logistical nightmare for me. Some parents have children who are capable of sitting. I’m not one of those. We braved it this week and I spent 2 hours trying to stop the 1 year old running into the men’s toilets or the street whilst simultaneously fielding off questions from my 3 year old about where babies come from (she does seem to think she hatched from an egg which I’m considering running with for now).

A mate asked how I manage to bake (she politely didn’t add, “with your feral kids”) and I can honestly say it’s the only time they keep still and chill out. The added bonus of this particular recipe is that with the addition of butter and sugar they also ate some actual veg so wins all round.

You will need 2×8″ sandwich tins well greased or lined with baking paper.

Ingredients

200g Butter
200g soft brown sugar
200g grated carrot
1 teaspoon baking powder
250g Self raising flour
100g sultanas (optional)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the cream cheese icing

200g full fat soft cheese
450g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 170°C

In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar together then add the grated carrot.

Stir in the eggs and sultanas and once well mixed add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Finally add a splash of milk to loosen the batter.

Divide into the two sandwich tins and bake at 170°C for 25-30 minutes or until golden and springy to touch.

Whilst cooling prepare the icing. Mix the cream cheese with the icing sugar until smooth and creamy.

Sandwich your cakes together with a good layer of cream cheese and spread a generous layer over the top. If your feeling confident you could try piping a few swirls on but it makes no difference to the taste which is amazing!