Spiced chai carrot cake with honey mascarpone cream

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Spiced chai carrot cake with honey mascarpone cream

The deep yet delicate blend of spices in this cake pairs beautifully with its rustic texture – a heavenly combination. It is so comforting to fill the kitchen with the warm and delicious smell of spice and cake. For a dairy-free version, you could use coconut cream whipped with honey instead of mascarpone in the topping.

Carot cake

3 free-range eggs
175g honey, or 125ml maple or agave syrup
185 ml olive oil
200g ground almonds
125g rice flour, or 100 g buckwheat flour
155g grated carrots
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Mascarpone cream

240 g mascarpone
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsps honey, maple or agave syrup

To decorate

2 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 315°F / Gas Mark 2–3. Line a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin with baking paper.

Put all the cake ingredients in a large bowl. using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined, then carefully pour the batter into the cake tin.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool completely, before carefully turning out onto a plate.

To make the mascarpone cream, put the mascarpone, lemon zest and honey in a bowl. using a spoon, mix until well combined.

Gently spoon the mascarpone cream onto the top of the cooled cake and spread out evenly using a knife or the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle with the pepitas, shredded coconut and sunflower seeds.

The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days.

Recipe taken from My Petite Kitchen Cookbook by Eleanor Ozich, published by Murdoch Books.

Serves
8

Preparation Time
15 minutes

Cooking Time
45 minutes

Main ingredients
Dairy, Flour, Eggs, Vegetables

Recipe Type
Cakes & Baking, Dessert, Entertaining, Family Dinners, Healthy, Kids Food, Cake Stall

Level of Difficulty
Easy