Carrot cake is typically more moist than rival classic bakes—think Victoria sponge or Madeira cake—but this makes it more difficult to master.
Home bakers looking to simplify their approach to carrot cake should look no further than this simple four-ingredient method.
With minimal equipment and washing up, it’s the best formula for whipping up a sweet treat from scratch without buying ingredients or making a mess in the kitchen.
The recipe, which went viral on social media, uses condensed milk instead of eggs and oil. According to KitchenAid experts, substituting ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk per egg can help bind ingredients and add structure to some recipes.
They warned: “Sweetened condensed milk is rich and packed with sugar, so you may need to alter the amount of sugar you add to your recipe accordingly.”
First shared on a home budgeting page on Facebook, the recipe is “quick and easy”, according to a blogger at Practical Parenting. You don’t have to add sugar, as the recipe relies on the sugar in the condensed milk for its sweetness.
Some recipes use condensed milk in addition to traditional ingredients to give carrot cake extra sweetness, richness, and a milky flavour.
It is also a popular component in icing, as it gives a shiny, gooey texture. Russian buttercream is the easiest kind of frosting to make with condensed milk—all you need to add is butter for silky-smooth results.
Ingredients
- Two cups of self-raising flour (240g)
- Two cups of grated carrots (245g)
- One tin of condensed milk
- 100g pecan nuts, walnuts or sultanas
For the frosting (optional)
- 60g softened butter
- 500g icing sugar (sieved)
- 250g cream cheese
- 80ml lemon juice
First, preheat the oven to 180C, then grease and line the loaf tin with baking paper to cover the base and sides. Peel the carrots, then grate them directly onto one half of a clean tea towel.
Fold the towel over and lightly squeeze the excess moisture before transferring the carrot to a mixing bowl. Add the flour and condensed milk, then mix everything with a wooden spoon to form the cake batter.
Stir in the nuts and sultanas if using. A mixture of the two works well if you use 50g of each. Transfer the cake batter to the lined loaf tin when the nuts and fruit are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for a while. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
Beat the cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the softened butter and beat for 30 seconds to one minute until combined and fluffy.
Squeeze in the lemon juice, then add the icing sugar and continue to mix until blended. When the cake has fully cooled, spread the frosting on top and sprinkle with chopped nuts if you wish.