Nanna had too many carrots, and too many apples — so with a quick modification of her classic recipe, Nanna created what some now call the best carrot cake of all time. Moist, citrusy, and loaded with walnuts, it’s a moreish masterpiece that proves Nanna’s cake instincts are always spot on.
You will need
Serves 10-12
- 2 cups carrots, grated
- 2 apples, grated
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 6 vegan eggs (we used Orgran No Egg)
- 1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 cup of light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup sultanas
- 2 cups self-raising flour
For the icing:
- 300g vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Recipe: Nanna Mirella
Photography: Brendan Cherry
Directions
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Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a round 22cm cake tin with oil and lightly dust it with flour to prevent sticking.
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Step 2
Grate the carrots and apples into a large bowl. Using your hands, squeeze out as much juice as you can from the grated mixture into a separate bowl – this helps prevent the cake from becoming too wet. Set the grated mixture aside, and reserve the juice in case the batter needs extra moisture later.
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Step 3
In a medium bowl, prepare the vegan egg replacer according to the packet instructions. Stir in the brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to form your wet mixture.
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Step 4
In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated carrot, apple, and lemon zest. Add the wet mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
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Step 5
Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla, then gently fold in the chopped walnuts and sultanas.
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Step 6
Gradually stir in the self-raising flour until the batter is smooth. The batter should be thick but moist enough to hold together without being runny. It should drop slowly from the spoon and hold its shape rather than spreading out or dripping. If it feels crumbly and dry, add a little of the reserved juice to moisten it; if it’s too loose or watery, add a bit more flour.
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Step 7
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for about 1 hour, checking at 45 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes to avoid crumbling, then gently turn the cake out onto a serving dish.
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Step 8
Prepare the icing. Whisk together the vegan cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature for easier mixing. When the cake has entirely cooled, spread over the icing and decorate with chopped walnuts.
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Recipe: Nanna Mirella
Photography: Brendan Cherry
