Adam Miller's Ultimate Easter Carrot Cake Recipe
If you're looking for a dessert that will truly dazzle this Easter, look no further than this rich and flavour-packed carrot cake. Layered with creamy cheese frosting and topped with a spiced salted caramel, it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. On The Morning Show, Bake Off favourite Adam Miller shared his go-to recipe, demonstrating how to create a soft, spiced cake that can be adapted into cupcakes, a bundt, or a classic layered showstopper, all finished with an indulgent caramel touch.
Ingredients for Easter Carrot Cake
- 100g mixed dried fruit (such as sultanas or raisins), soaked in tea or brandy
- 300g carrots, grated
- 100g pecans, roughly chopped
- 300g plain flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 heaped tablespoon mixed spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 260g light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 300g vegetable oil
- 50g mixed peel (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature (browned or normal; if browning, do so while the cake bakes to allow cooling)
- 200g icing sugar
- 250g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
Easter Salted Caramel Ingredients (Optional)
- 340g caster sugar
- 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 180g thickened cream, at room temperature
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Decoration Ideas
- Easter eggs of your choice
- Flake chocolate bar for nest effects
Method for Easter Carrot Cake
An hour before baking, prepare the dried fruit. If using tea, add a tea bag to the fruit and pour over freshly boiled water. For brandy, bring it to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the fruit. Cover the bowl and let it soak while you proceed.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm round cake tins with baking paper and set aside.
Grate the carrots and set aside. Roughly chop the pecans and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, and salt until combined.
In a separate bowl or large jug, whisk the sugar, eggs, and oil together until well combined.
Add the sugary egg mixture to the flour mixture and gently mix until just combined.
Drain the soaked fruit and add it to the cake mixture, along with the carrots, pecans, and mixed peel. Fold until just incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins, smooth the tops, and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted into the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake rest in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Icing Method
In a large bowl, combine the butter (browned or standard), cream cheese, salt, and icing sugar. Use hand beaters to mix until smooth and fully combined.
Assembly Instructions
Place one of the cooled cakes on a plate or cake stand. Spoon half of the cream cheese icing onto the cake. Use a small offset spatula to spread the icing and, if using salted caramel, create a shallow well in the middle with walls about 1.5-2 cm high.
Pour the Easter salted caramel into the well and spread evenly. Place the top layer of the cake on top of the filling.
Decorate the top with the remaining icing as desired. For a decorative touch, pipe blobs of icing all over the top using a piping bag with a 1.5cm round nozzle. Use a small melon baller or teaspoon to create craters in the blobs, filling them randomly with small hard-shelled Easter eggs or salted caramel.
Serve the cake on the same day, or refrigerate overnight in a sealed container to allow the flavours to develop further. This cake keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Alternative Decoration Ideas
For cupcakes, use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop out a divot in the top, fill with salted caramel, replace the scooped-out piece, and pipe a ring of cream cheese icing to form a nest. Fill with small Easter eggs.
For a bundt cake, smother it in cream cheese icing. Use shards from a Flake or similar chocolate bar to create a nest around the top, and fill the centre with a chocolate Easter bunny and small Easter eggs.
Easter Salted Caramel Method (Optional, Make the Day Before)
To make the caramel, place the caster sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Leave undisturbed for 1-2 minutes until it starts melting around the edges. Gently stir with a small spatula or whisk as it melts and caramelises.
Don't worry if the sugar clumps; without added water, there's no risk of crystallisation. Keep stirring until it reaches a deep golden whisky colour, then remove from heat. Immediately add the softened butter and whisk to combine, being cautious of spluttering.
Gradually whisk in the cream until smooth. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of salt, orange zest, and spices, then taste and add more salt if needed for a sweet-salty balance. Pour into a sterilised jar to cool completely and store in the fridge.
Alternatively, heat a store-bought jar of salted caramel in a saucepan on low-medium, stirring often. Remove just before boiling, stir in orange zest and spices, pour back into the jar, and chill.
How to Brown Butter
Dice the butter into rough cubes and place in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until melted, then stir occasionally as it browns over 10-15 minutes.
The butter will go through stages: milk solids separating with white dots, boiling and foaming, foam subsiding, and finally foaming again with browned milk solids. At this point, immediately remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl.
Let cool on the bench for 10-15 minutes, then refrigerate. Stir every 30 minutes to distribute milk solids and cool evenly. For the icing, use the butter when cooled to a thick buttercream consistency, not fully solidified.
