Carrot Cake with Sugar Kelp

Servings: 10 Cooking time: 1 h 15 min

The ultimate carrot cake! This recipe produces a moist, fluffy cake with a warming blend of spices. Sugar kelp (also called sweet kombu) brings a lovely salty balance to the sweetness, making a truly moreish flavour combination. Many food historians believe that carrot cake originated in the European Middle Ages, when sugar and sweeteners were expensive, and people had to rely on naturally sweet foods like carrots as a substitute. It seems then that the naturally salty kelp is an appropriate addition to this creative little cake! We’ve used the classic cream cheese icing in this recipe, but you could also use coconut cream, or even Greek yoghurt icing for a healthier alternative. 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sugar kelp and fry for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until darker, crisp and aromatic. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, blitz into a fine crumb using a food processor, spice grinder, pestle and mortar, or chop very finely with a knife.
  3. In a bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the remaining 250 ml oil and vanilla essence, then mix well. Stir in the ground sugar kelp and leave to infuse while you prepare the other ingredients.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
  5. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until fully combined. A spatula can help bring everything together evenly without overmixing.
  6. Fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and raisins, making sure everything is evenly distributed through the batter.
  7. Line or grease a large cake tin, then pour in the batter and smooth the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven and cake tin size. Check for doneness by inserting a knife or skewer into the centre, it should come out clean.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. This cake develops even more flavour by the next day, making it a great recipe to prepare in advance.
  9. To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla sugar until smooth, pale and fluffy. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, a small splash of vanilla essence works well instead. Spread the frosting generously over the cooled cake and decorate with the extra walnuts before serving.

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