Ingredients
- 360g Plain white flour
- 200g - 300g Sugar, to desired sweetness
- 3 tsp Baking soda
- 4 tsp Quatre Épices by Camelēr Spice Co.
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 4 Eggs
- 180g Vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 450g Carrots, shredded
- 150g Desiccated coconut
- 130g Dates, chopped
- 130g Pecans, chopped
- 1 Small tin (230g) pineapple chunks with juice, crushed/mashed
- 65g Raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 225g Cream cheese, softened
- 3 TBSP Flour
- 3 TBSP Corn starch
- 130g Sugar
- 120 ml Single cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Quatre Épices by Camelēr Spice Co.
- Pinch salt
- Up to 65g icing sugar
- Up to 200g of toasted, chopped walnuts, for garnish (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ Gas and grease and flour 2 10" cake tins.
- Weight out and stir together the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, our French Spice mix Quatre Épices spices, baking soda and salt. Then add in the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk together until smooth.
- Fold in the grated carrots, then the coconut, dates, raisins, pecans and crushed pineapple with juice until evenly mixed.
- Pour the batter into prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes and until the tester comes out clean and the cake springs back after being poke.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before removing from the cake from the cake tin to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the icing, in a medium saucepan, mix together the flour, cornstarch, Quatre Épices spice blend and sugar to combine, then slowly pour in the cream until well mixed. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it becomes very thick and gelatinous. Pour the mix into the bowl and using a stand mixer, or a hand mixer whip the mix on high until completely cool—about 10 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese a tablespoon at a time and beat until well incorporated then add salt, vanilla and orange peel. Turn mixer speed to high and beat frosting until light and airy. If the frosting is too loose, add icing sugar a little bit at a time, beating continually, until desired consistency is reached.
- To assemble the cake, evenly trim the cake from any uneven edges and trim the tops of the cake layers. Place cut side up of one layer, , on a plate, and spread about 100 -150 ml of frosting over it. Top with the second layer of the cake, cut side down. Frost cake and garnish with roasted nuts, if desired.