Authentic Swedish Carrot Cake

Delicious Svensca Morrotskakka

German and French bakeries are world-renowned. When I moved to Germany 4 years back, I noticed that baking was not just for professional bakers. It was in fact a basic skill that almost all of my German friends possessed and most of them would have proven to be better than store bakers.

On one occasion, my German friend baked a Swedish carrot cake and  it was so simple yet so good that I chased him for almost about a month for the recipe. Trust me, it was the first cake I ever baked and since it came out like a pro, I decided to name it 'anyone-can-bake-it-cake'.

Now every time i think of baking safe, this is my go-to recipe.

THE RECIPE

Category: Baking

Style: Swedish

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

 - 200 grams flour

 - 100 grams warm butter or margarine

 - 180 grams white sugar

 - 3 eggs

 - 2 carrots, medium sized, peeled and finely grated

 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, optional

 - 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

 - 1 cup walnuts, broken

Cream Cheese Frosting :

 - 40 grams butter

 - 300 grams cream cheese

 - 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

 - 3 teaspoons icing sugar or powdered white sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven at 180°C.

2. In a bowl, stir the butter with the sugar.

3. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well mixed or creamy.

4. Stir in the peeled and grated carrots to this mixture.

5. Now add all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and cinnamon powder and gently stir them in circles of one direction. Do not mix vigorously but gently until a consistent batter is formed.

6. Add the walnuts and give a mix.

7. Coat a cake 9 inch cake form with butter and flour or baking spray (so that the cake is easy to remove after baking). Alternatively, use a silicone cake form.

8. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Check after 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the batter. If the toothpick comes out clear, the cake is baked.

9. Take it out from the oven and allow to cool.

Frosting:

1. Melt the butter and allow to cool.

2. Whisk the cream cheese and vanilla sugar with the butter.

3. Finally, sift the icing sugar and stir it well. Add more icing sugar if you like it sweeter.

4. Refrigerate the frosting. Once the cake has cooled, apply evenly or decorate the cake with frosting.

Notes:

 - You can also bake the cake without frosting. I generally skip the frosting and enjoy it as a high-tea cake or muffin.