Easy but impressive Chocolate Carrot Cake

When you are looking for something impressive for the Easter table, this Chocolate Carrot Cake is a winner.  Decorate it with shards of chocolate and eggs for the perfect Easter cake.

Making memories with Easter treats

I remember the time my Great Uncle Ted gave me an Easter egg in a box lined with purple satin, surrounded by chocolates with cream centres when I was seven years old.  I thought it was just amazing but was even more gob-smacked when I finally cracked open the egg to find it filled with white and yellow marshmallow – just like a real egg!

These days I try to keep Easter’s sweet indulges at a minimum but there are a few treats that should never be shelved – like an Easter egg hunt in the garden.  Obviously, this works best with small children, but the young at heart might also be interested. Don’t hide them too well or you’ll spend the following weeks discovering sad lost melted eggs.

Photo above by Cristina Matos-Albers on Unsplash

Chocolate Carrot Cake Recipe

Preparation 15 minutes.

Baking 175°C for approximately 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. This depends on the chosen tin.

Makes one large 17cm square tin or equivalent Carrot Cake.

Recipe by Thomas Schnetzler, Lindt Maître Chocolatier

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 210ml macadamia nut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 80g Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa dark chocolate
• 180g caster sugar
• 245g plain flour, sifted
• 5g bicarb soda
• 2g baking powder
• Pinch sea salt
• ½tsp ground cinnamon
• ½tsp mixed spice
• 60g sultanas
• 65g dried apricots, chopped
• 35ml Cognac or Brandy
• 200g carrots, grated
• 60g macadamia nuts, roasted
• 70g walnuts
• 120g Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa dark chocolate, in chunks
• 80g Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy milk chocolate, in chunks

Icing

• 250g Cream cheese
• ½ Lemon, juice and zest
• 6-7 White Lindor Balls or pieces of White Lindor block chocolate, melted

Method:

Cake

1. Place a small amount of the oil in a small saucepan along with the first amount of chocolate (80g). Gently heat until chocolate is melted.
2. Combine the eggs, sugar, oil and the oil chocolate mixture in the bowl of your electric mixer. Give it a quick stir to help dissolve the sugar.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Stir in the fruit, cognac, carrots and nuts.
5. Lastly stir in the chocolate chunks.
6. Transfer batter into a greased and lined baking tin and bake until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool fully before icing.

Icing

1. Soften the cream cheese and lemon in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
2. Mix in the melted Lindor and allow mixture to set in the fridge.
3. Once set, top the cooled carrot cake generously with cream cheese topping

Finishing touches

Decorate with roasted mixed nuts, chocolate decorations, a dust of icing sugar and candied carrot.

Photo by Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash

Simple Carrot Cupcakes

There’s no chocolate in this carrot cake recipe but don’t let that stop you throwing in half a cup of choc chips.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup castor sugar
• 1 teasp baking powder
• 3/4 teasp bicarb soda
• pinch (1/2 teasp) salt
• 5/8 cup (140mls) olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup pineapple, drained
• 1/4 cup (75g) chopped walnuts

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
• Mix dry ingredients, add eggs, oil and mix well.
• Stir in carrots, pineapple and nuts.
• Bake in a greased floured tin for 1 hour (20-25 mins for cupcakes). Ice when cool.

Icing

• 90gm butter
• 90gm Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/2 teasp vanilla essence
• walnuts

Method

Cream above together, ice and then decorate with the walnuts.

More cake recipes

• Best chocolate coconut milk cake
• Honey bunny cupcakes