Carrot Cake Traybake

Carrot Cake Traybake is a richly flavoured, warmly spicy bake where plenty of grated carrot is joined by coconut, pecans, sultanas, and orange zest. Soft and moist, I love it topped with spiced buttercream (you can swap it for a simple orange icing if preferred) plus more chopped pecans. Wonderful as a sweet treat or even dessert.

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My favourite carrot cake recipe is one I tore from a magazine back in 1995. And I still have the page filed in one of my many recipe clippings folders. Over the years, I have tweaked it though. In my version there’s butter instead of oil, cinnamon as well as mixed spice, and buttercream replaces a cream cheese frosting. But the essence is the same. A richly flavoured, warmly spice bake where plenty of grated carrot is joined by coconut, pecans, sultanas, and orange zest.

I’ve already used those same flavours in my simple Carrot Cake Oat Bars and delicious Carrot Cake Overnight Oats. Now I’ve transformed them again: into Carrot Cake Traybake.

CARROT CAKE TRAYBAKE

So full of good things, you shouldn’t expect this traybake to be airy and fluffy. A lovely cake, sweet snack, or dessert, it’s rich and moist, but certainly not heavy. A little bit crumbly, and with a generous amount of spiced buttercream, you’ll probably want to eat this carrot cake with a fork. Don’t like buttercream? Not to worry. In the notes to the recipe card, I’ve included how to make a simple orange icing.

You’ll also be pleased to know that quick and easy Carrot Cake Traybake cooks in around half an hour.

I’ve given full instructions and ingredient amounts in a recipe card at the end. But I recommend you read this post first for extra tips and step-by-step images to guide you.

HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE TRAYBAKE

For accuracy when baking, I always recommend you use digital scales (paid link) and metric measurements. This is the way I create and test my recipes, so can’t vouch for the results if you attempt to convert them e.g. to American cups. For this traybake I use a tin that’s approximately 24 x 17 cm. But any with a similar capacity is fine. As well as greasing with butter, I line the tin with baking paper.

1. MAKE THE BATTER

Start by sifting together self-raising flour (or plain/all-purpose flour plus baking powder), mixed spice, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. For carrot cake, I like twice as much mixed spice as cinnamon. But you can swap that around or even just use one or the other. Set the sifted spiced flour aside while you complete the next step.

In a large bowl, preferably using electric beaters (paid link), beat together soft butter and light brown soft sugar until very light. Next, beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the sifted spiced flour each time. This should give you a light and fluffy batter.

Now fold in the remaining ingredients: grated carrots, sultanas, pecans, desiccated coconut, plus the remaining spiced flour. Tip: if you don’t happen to like sultanas, pecans, and/or coconut, any or all of these can be left out. But I love this combination with carrots.

Transfer the batter to your prepared tin, spreading it out as evenly as you can and making sure you go right into the corners.

2. BAKE & COOL

The Carrot Cake Traybake then goes into an oven preheated to the temperature shown in the recipe card. It should take around 30 minutes to cook. Of course, the exact time will depend on the peculiarities of your oven and whether your baking tin has a smaller or larger base than mine. But a clue that’s it’s done is that the edges of the cake should be just pulling away from the sides of the tin. The top should also be springy when lightly pressed, and a cocktail stick or skewer will come out clean.

When the traybake’s cooked, put the tin on a cooling rack and leave for 5 – 10 minutes before carefully tipping or lifting the cake out. Leave it on the rack until completely cold.

3. ADD THE TOPPING

To make the spiced buttercream for the topping, all you do is beat soft butter (again using electric beaters if possible) until very soft. In a separate bowl, sift together icing sugar plus mixed spice and ground cinnamon.

Tip HALF of the spiced icing sugar onto the butter and beat in, followed by the remaining half. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract plus a teaspoon of milk, cream, or water. Beat again until the buttercream is very light and airy. You can add another teaspoon or two of the liquid if you want it lighter.

Spread the spiced buttercream all over the top of the Carrot Cake Traybake then finish with a generous sprinkle of chopped pecans.

It’s worth saying that the amounts in the recipe card will give you quite a generous layer of buttercream. If you’d prefer less, you can reduce quantities by a third. Also, if you’re one of those people who find buttercream too sweet (although mine has a lower proportion of sugar to butter than standard recipes) you can reduce the amount of icing sugar further, although not so much that you have more butter than sugar! Alternatively, skip it and replace with the simple orange icing outlined in the recipe card note.

SIMPLE & DELICOUS CARROT CAKE

There’s a reason that carrot cake has remained a popular choice for so long. Aside from the novelty factor of a vegetable in a sweet treat, carrots really do add moisture as well as a little sweetness. And I think that turning it into a simple traybake and cutting into chunky squares makes it even more homely and inviting.

Delicious with a cuppa or eaten as a snack, in our house Carrot Cake Traybake is most often served as dessert. That’s because while it contains ingredients I always have in the fridge and cupboard, this lovely cake packed with good things and topped with spicy buttercream, always feels a little bit special.

If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please do leave a comment and rating.

5 from 2 votes

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Carrot Cake Traybake

A richly flavoured, warmly spicy bake with lots of grated carrot plus coconut, pecans, sultanas, and orange zest. Soft and moist, this lovely cake or dessert is topped with spiced buttercream (or a simple orange icing if you prefer) plus more chopped pecans.

Course Dessert, Snack, Cake

Cuisine British, World

Keyword easy, homemade cake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 200 g self-raising flour (or plain/all-purpose + 2 level tsp baking powder)
• 2 rounded tsp mixed spice (can be replaced with ground cinnamon)
• 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon (can be replaced with mixed spice)
• 1 large pinch salt
• 200 g soft butter
• 200 g light brown soft sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 200 g coarsely grated carrot (weight after preparation)
• 100 g sultanas
• 50 g pecans (chopped)
• 50 g desiccated coconut
• 1 large orange (finely grated zest only)

For the spiced buttercream topping (see Recipe Notes for alternative)

• 160 g soft butter
• 240 g icing sugar
• 1 rounded tsp mixed spice (can be replaced with ground cinnamon)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (can be replaced with mixed spice)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 - 3 tsp milk, cream, or water
• 40 g pecans (finely chopped)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C /160°C Fan /Gas 4 /350°F.

   Line and/or grease a baking tin approximately 24 x 17 x 4 cm (or one with a similar capacity).

2. Sift together the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt then set aside.

3. In a large bowl and preferably using electric beaters, beat together the butter and light brown sugar until soft and light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary during this and subsequent steps.

   Beat in the eggs one at a time along with a rounded tablespoon of the sifted spiced flour each time: you should end up with a light and fluffy mixture.

   Add to the bowl the grated carrot, sultanas, pecans, desiccated coconut, the orange zest, and the remaining flour. Fold (don't beat) everything together until thoroughly combined.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, spreading out evenly, making sure it goes right into the corners, then smooth down the top.

   Put in the oven and bake until risen and golden brown: approximately 30 minutes depending on your oven and the dimensions of your baking tin.

   Tip: The cake is ready when the edges are just pulling away from the sides of the tin, the top is springy when lightly pressed, and a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean.

5. Transfer the baking tin to a wire rack and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.

   Carefully remove the cake from its tin and put directly on the wire rack until completely cold.

6. Make and add the topping

   In a roomy bowl beat the butter until very soft, preferably using electric beaters.

   Sift the icing sugar with the mixed spice and ground cinnamon then tip HALF of it onto the beaten butter. Beat again until the icing sugar is combined with the butter then beat in the remaining half.

   Add the vanilla extract and a teaspoon of the milk, cream or water, and beat again until the buttercream is light and airy. Beat in a little more liquid if you want it lighter.

   Spread the spiced buttercream all over the top of the cold carrot cake then sprinkle with the finely chopped pecans.

7. Cut into squares to serve.

   Stored in an airtight container, the cake should keep for up to 5 days. Can be stored in the fridge if brought back to room temperature before eating.

Recipe Notes

Alternative to buttercream topping: orange icing.

Sift 150 g of icing sugar into a bowl. Very gradually whisk in enough freshly squeezed orange juice to create a smooth, spreadable icing. Spread all over the top of the cold cake then sprinkle with chopped pecans.

 

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