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    • Carrot Cake

    by Maria on February 1, 2008

    Carrot Cake

    I was introduced to carrot cake by my friend, Divya. When we were staying in hostel, she used to bring this delicious carrot cake made by her mom. Those days, since most of my concentration was on eating and not about the behind the scenes part of cake making, I didnt bother about the recipe and all :)

    Now coming to the present scenario, after I started baking, I always wanted to try out carrot cake and I even bookmarked a recipe in one of my favorite cooking books, “Everyday Cookery, Baking series”. But again, Divya told me she got a wonderful recipe for carrot cake from one of her aunts and told me its a must try and here I am :)  and I am repeating her words to you guys, IT’S a MUST TRY!!

    Recipe for the carrot cake:

    1. Grated Carrots – 3 cups
    2. Plain Flour – 2 cups
    3. Sugar – 2 cups
    4. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
      Baking Soda – 1 tsp
    5. Oil – 1/2 cup
      Ghee – 1/2 cup
    6. Eggs – 4
    7. Nutmeg – 1 tsp
      Cinnamon – 1 tsp
    8. Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
    9. Caramel syrup – 2 tbsp

    For preparing caramel, heat 5 tbsp sugar. Once it turns brown, add 1/4 cup water and let it simmer till it becomes a thick syrup. Remove from gas and let it cool. Please note that the caramel syrup is completely cooled well before adding to the cake mix.

    Preheat the oven at 180 degree, 10 minutes before baking. Sift together plain flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside. Beat the eggs well. Add sugar to the beaten eggs and beat again. Add the sifted powders little by little and keep on beating until the whole lot is added to the egg, sugar mixture. Add oil and ghee and mix thoroughly. Slowly add grated carrots and spice powders and fold into the cake mix. Make sure that there are no lumps. Finally add the caramel syrup (ensure that it is completely cooled) and vanilla essence and combine well. Pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

    Check out the Carrot Cake made by Josphine, based on the above recipe. Thanks a lot dear :)

    Other recipes of Divya:

    chinese chkn fry Fish Fingers

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    About Maria Jose Martin

    MariasMenu is a popular food blog written by Maria Jose with its no nonsense simple, tasty and delicious recipes – all tried and tested by readers, family and friends alike. Read more about Maria and her venture.

    • http://tastypalettes.blogspot.com Suganya

      I make a similar cake. But instead of ghee, I add 2 medium mashed bananas. Congratulations on the century mark :)

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Thanks Suganya :) Mashed bananas instead of ghee, sounds good and its healthy too, so will try it out next time when I make this cake.

    • Shamila

      Hi Maria,

      I am a big fan of Carrot cake and was looking for the receipe for sometime. I am definetely going to try your receipe. Will let you know the outcome. Thanks again.

    • Rose

      Delicious cake!!
      Even my kids are very fond of this

      regards

      rose

    • Nisha

      Hi Maria,

      i have a doubt.. what do u mean by ghee ? is it the regular ghee that u get in indian store or r u melting the buttersticks? instead of ghee can i use butter. if so how many sticks.. please clarify…

      thanks,
      Nisha

    • Clarakutty

      Hi Maria,
      Cake was yummmy!!! :-)
      Thanks for the recipie…

    • Reflexology London

      i also add Banana to this cake.
      I love carrot cake !!!

    • http://www.piece-a-cake.com Steph Cakes

      Love carrot cake. It’s my most requested cake. Thanks for the recipe and I will try it tomorrow! Steph

    • Pingback: Marias Menu » Chinese Chicken Fry

    • Zeenath A. Rahim

      Hi. I loved going through ur blog. Will definitely try out some of ur dishes. I am a malayalee Muslim from Kannur settled in Dhaka, & always turn nostalgic remembering kerala curries.
      Since accurate baking is important can you confirm by email what size of pan u used for baking the carrot cake? Would very much appreciate it.
      Best wishes for 2009

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Zeenath, thanks a lot for your wishes. Happy to know that you like the blog :). Please do try the recipes and let me know.

      Regarding the size of the cake pan, I used a 8 inch square pan for baking this cake. Hope you will like it :)

      Wish you and your family a happy year ahead!!

      • fiona

        hi , i baked this carrot cake yesterday for easter and it came out simply great ..very tasty….thanks for the recipe….

        • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

          Dear Fiona

          Really happy to know that you liked the cake. Thanks a lot for letting me know about it. Hope you had a great Easter with your family.

          Take care
          Maria

    • Sindu Justine

      hi maria

      oh a ton thks for such a wonderful recipe…all in my family loved it especially my 2 yr old daughter was licking till the end..i tried on the stove top instead of the oven…thts my mums trick..she makes cake somtimes on the stove…when we were small i remember she used to buy this BETTY CROCKERs cake mix and she wld bake it over the stove..it comes out really soft…

      the cake was simply irresistable…

      have a wonderful holiday…waiting for ur new recipes..

      regds
      sindu

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Sindu

        Hope you are fine.

        Thanks for the wishes, am back in Bahrain after the holiday.

        Thanks for trying the carrot cake, very happy to know that your daughter loved it. I havent tried the stove top method yet..I will give it a try sometime :)

        Cheers
        Maria

    • sucha

      hi Maria
      I tried making wheat cake with brown sugar was better than putting jaggery but i tried making carrot cake but as u say the caramel syrup should be added to the cake mixture after it cools down but it became hard like a stone after it cooled down.i prepared it in the same qty as given,while it was hot it was thick and sticky,what might be the reason
      Rgds
      sucha

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Sucha

        Hope you are doing good.

        Sorry for the delayed reply, I reached Bahrain only yesterday after my holidays.

        Regarding the caramel syrup, I too had the same problem before. But I found a step by step instruction here: http://dailygirlblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/fruit-cake.html

        I followed it exactly and the syrup came out well. Please do try it and let me know whether it came out well.

        All the best n happy baking :)
        Maria

    • Reepna Rajesh

      Dear Mari,

      After reading all these blog Iam soooo tempted to make carrot cake, but I dont have an oven with me, will it be fine if I bake it in a pressure cooker, without using the weight?

    • Roshini

      Hi Maria….

      Stumbled upon your site accidentally a few days back. All i can say is Wow!! I am a mallu married to a Punjabi and living in Delhi. Absolutely no access to Kerala cuisine unless my mom drops in…i loved ur recipes…and i’ve tried 2 of these already. the carrot cake(which was my first attempt at baking a cake) and the beef fry (my husband has been craving for beef fry after he tasted it at bangalore) i used mutton instead of beef though, but they turned out really really good.So really thank you :)

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Roshini

        Thanks dear for dropping in :) Very happy to know that you like the recipes and thanks a ton for letting me know about it :)

        So I can ask you some Punjabi recipes right :)?

        Please do try out other recipes also when you’ve time.

        Cheers
        Maria

    • soumya george

      hi maria, can you tell me the tray size for this recipe. I am soooooooooooooo tempted to make the cake cake……………looks yummyyyyyyyyy

    • soumya george

      Delicious cakeeee……….it came out great……with cream cheese icing and tutty-fruity………it is even better………..my family loved it…..thanks for your wonderful recipe………………….
      love,
      soumya.

    • Ann Sebastian

      Hi Maria,

      I have been an active reader of your blog. I have tried some of your recipes and they have come out well!! Thanks a lot..One taste that still lingers in the mouth is Lemon and Date pickle..It was soooo yummy!!

      Have a question on this one? This is my first attempt at baking. I was looking for a recipe and remembered about your blog.. (one of my references at cooking he he ) Did you use cake mixer to mix the dough together? I dont have one and was wondering if I need to get one.

      Thanks,
      Ann

      • Ann Sebastian

        Hi Maria,

        I tried this recipe and it came out really well. :):) I was so happy when it came out, I called up home in India and told everyone. Thanks a lot !. I bought a hand mixer and used that. I guess that is the way to go about it..

        • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

          Hi Ann

          Thanks a lot dear :)

          I am really sorry for not responding to your query about hand mixer. Since I was in India for holidays, I was a bit busy. Anyways to answer your query, i generally use an electric mixer for all the cakes, unless the recipe specifies hand mixing.

          Am really happy that you went ahead and tried this cake and so glad that it came out well for you :). Now since you have the hand mixer, you will be baking big time I guess.

          Happy baking :)

          Thanks again dear for trying out the recipes from here …

          Cheers
          Maria

    • Bindu

      Hi.. Carrot cake came out nice and soft and yummy.. great recipe, thanks!

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Thanks Bindu :)

    • Seema

      Hi Maria,
      I was looking for carrot cake recipe for long, after I had one from one during a buffet lunch. Me and my hubby liked it very much… Y’day ws our wedding anniversary and I made the cake in the way you mentioned.. It came out excellent!!!!!!.. for surprise my 7 yr old son also liked it.. he was around me once i finished baking :)… Normally he will watch around and peek into what all ingredients i am using.. he normally won’t like carrots and all( most of the veggies of course ;) ).. and he helped me to powder the cinnamon…….
      Thank you very much dear.. for sharing the recipe.. and i tried buttercream icing on it… it was the first time i ever tried decorating the cake.. and of course my style of some decorartions on top with carrots ;)
      I want to share my experience y’day itself.. but the site seems to be down…
      Once again thank you very much…..

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Seema,

        Belated anniversary wishes to you!! Hope you had a great day :)

        Thanks a lot dear for trying out this recipe on your special day and very happy to know that your son also liked it.

        Once again thank you for taking time to comment here :)

        Cheers
        Maria

    • http://smat2084.blogspot.com/ Sweety Mathew-Bright

      Hello Maria!

      This is the first time i’m writing to you & the first time i have used one of ur reciepes. I dont like cooking much but thought to give it a shot due to one jobless week end !

      Yesterday was the first time i attempted to bake a cake, ( I have neither baked nor seen anyone bake a cake before ).

      After 2 hrs of efforts poured out in baking the cake, everyone appreciated it at home! hubby, folks n a friend loved it but you should be given due credit! Thanks a mill & God bless ! :)

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Sweety,

        I’m very excited that you baked your first cake using a recipe from here :). Thank you dear.

        Once you start baking you will be hooked :)

        Btw, I got this recipe from one of my friends, I will pass on your comment to her as well :)

        Cheers
        Maria

    • Mithin

      Hai Maria.
      yesterday I tried your carrot cake. So delicious that not even a single piece left for the next day. It’s a MUST TRY as you said.
      Can we substitute butter instead of ghee and oil?

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Mithin,

        Thank you so much :) Really happy to know that it came out well.

        You can use butter instead of ghee & oil.

        Cheers
        Maria

    • Bins

      hi maria.
      i love ur cookingblog,i follow it quite regularly,these days…
      tried out this carrot cake of urs-was heavenly!but u know sumthing funny happened wen i made it the second time-silly me,forgot to add the oil/ghee(i was baking two cakes at the same time,mebbe thats y)…anyways,i wondered y my cake was a bit rubbery and then i realised the truth…
      maria,do u have any suggestion wat i shud do with this lil cake disater of mine?i dont feel like throwing it….mebbe u cud suggest a pudding thing i can make with it…sorry if my query sounds silly to u,and i hope i am not wasting ur time…thanks…

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Bins

        First of all I’m sorry for the delayed reply :( I was a busy with some project.

        Its nice to know that you visit this space regularly, thank you so much :) About using the carrot cake…may be you can crumble it and add some custard & fruits and use it as a pudding. Or again crumble the cake and make into small balls & dip it in melted white chocolate & let it dry completely.

        Hope this helps..

        Cheers
        Maria

        • Bins

          Thanks Maria,u certainly are a creative cook!good luck to you…

          • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

            Bins – :), thanks dear. Btw, did you try anything with that cake?

            Cheers
            Maria

            • Bins

              yeah,maria,i did…thanks for asking….since the cake was losing its shelf life,i had to act quickly before ur reply…i cut it horizontally into two,layered it alternately with sum custard and crushed almonds…nothing special…but mebbe i’ll use ur advice for any other of my floppable cakes in the future….thanks again maria…

    • Deepa George

      Hi Maria…I made this cake…this was my first time at baking and thanks to you, I’ve been hooked! I wanted to check with you if I could use some healthier flour other than maida…can nachni atta or wheat flour work? I have a one year old so was thinking of making it more nutritious. Look forward to your comment.

      Thanks again!

    • Deepa George

      Hi Maria, thanks to you I’ve been hooked to baking. Can you pls advise if I could use more healthier flour substitute for maida…can wheat flour or nachni atta work well for cakes? Deepa George

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Deepa,

        Glad to know that you enjoy baking :) I’ve used wheat flour (atta) for some baking recipes. Though I’m not sure whether you can substitute atta for all cake recipes. May be you can try using half maida n half atta.

        Please check out the following recipes:

        Eggless Cinnamon cake
        Oatmeal, dates & raisin cookies

        Happy baking :)

        Cheers
        Maria

    • Anonymous

      Hi Maria ..Thanks for the wonderful recipes..I did bake the carrot cake( which turned out to be very soft and tasted good) and my kids finished it in a day.They dont usually prefer to eat veggies and I always look for some healthy , easy recipes to get some veggies into it.So this was a great one ! I made few variations- added 1?2 cup of garted coconut(dried),added garted clove n nutmeg instead of cinnamon.Once again hearty thanks and looking forward to new cake recipes….

      • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

        Hi Shaalu

        Thank you so much dear for trying this cake. Its really nice to know that your kids liked it, my hi to them :)

        Adding dried coconut sounds great and I’m sure that clove & nutmeg enhanced the flavor of the cake.

        Btw, please do check out the blueberry muffins & dates cake recipes. Hope you will like it.

        Happy baking :)

        I’m sorry for the delayed reply, I was on a holiday & hence the delay.

        Cheers
        Maria

    • Anonymous

      Hi Maria ..Thanks for the wonderful recipes..I did bake the carrot cake( which turned out to be very soft and tasted good) and my kids finished it in a day.They dont usually eat veggies and I always look for some healthy , easy recipes to get some veggies into them.So this was a great one ! I made few variations- added 1/2 cup of grated coconut(dried), and butter instead of ghee,also grated clove n nutmeg instead of cinnamon.Once again hearty thanks and looking forward to new cake recipes….

    • Theonie Masters

      most be great love to teast

    • Priyakurian

      hiiiii maria ,
                       i made ur carrot cake many times ….came out very well.. kids loved it …..my friends hav got the recipe frm me … i made it for my husband’s b’day   topped it with some fluffy vanilla icing… was great..!!!                                       thanx a lot maria :-)                                                                                                                             i tried apple cake with th same recipe………..added grated apples…..was more juicy .. so didnt add all the juice…. that too came out well !!
                     thanx and take care
                                                       priya (doha)

      • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

        Hi Priya,

        Belated b’day wishes to your husband! Nice to know that you liked the cake recipe. I’ve always wondered whether I could make apple cake in the same way but never tried. But after reading your comment, I’m confident :)

        You too take care…

        Cheers
        Maria

    • Sini

      i made this today with honey instead of caramel syrup & 100% oil instead of ghee…good one ..kids loved it.

      • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

        Thanks a lot sweetie :)

    • sandhya

      hi Maria,

      Hope u r doing well. I am a regular follower of ur site.
      Eagerly waiting for ur new posts

      Today I tried carrot cake and it came out well. It was my
      first successful baking attempt. Last year on my hubby’s bday, I tried to
      surprise him by making cake……………but it was a true flop………From
      then I never had the courage to experiment on baking. But since I started
      following ur site and after trying out quite a few number of dishes, I got the
      confidence that I just need to  blindly
      follow ur measurements and methods.

      And finally, I tried it today. I took only 1 cup of grated
      carrot(bz of prev experience, I don’t want to waste more) and I adjusted qty
      accordingly. I even used my calculator to get the actual proportion hi hi. It
      was truly worth the effort. It was so good to believe that it was made by a
      fresher in baking.

      My kids don’t like cake much. But I hoped they would give a
      try since their amma made it. But it was a misunderstanding of my kids. Anyway,
      we like cakes and finally we were on track to do justice to the cake. But with
      every piece of cake, we gulped set of guilt feelings as both of us are bit
      overweight and are on so called ‘dieting’ ;)

      By the way, I always wonder how u stay fit and trim(I had a
      peep over ur facebook account…)Almost all cooking experts are on the higher
      side of weighing scale. They are not to be blamed, they are making so many food
      experiments and they should taste and rate it. Even I feel, I gained weight
      recently only trying 8 to  10 dishes from
      ur site J  If u can smell a kind of ‘kusumbu’, it is not
      any mistake, it is there he he….I am sure u r following a healthy life style
      and hav a control over ur intake even if it’s a totally  new dish(which I am lacking L)

      I am so sorry for taking ur time
      writing this much bla blas. But I just can’t control my excitement when that
      cake came out well.

      Love u dear…….keep up the good
      work

      sandhya

      • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

        Dear Sandhya,

        Thanks a ton for this lovely comment. Sorry for the delayed reply, I’m away on holiday, hence the delay.

        I’m really thrilled to know that carrot cake was a huge hit at your place and your kids also enjoyed it. Thanks for trying the recipes from here.

        Btw, I’m not that slim, it’s all photo technique ;) However I try to do some exercise once in a while when I feel that I’m crossing the weight limit. Even I dont have control in eating, my will power is very bad :(

        Cheers
        Maria

      • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

        Dear Sandhya,

        Thanks a ton for this lovely comment. Sorry for the delayed reply, I’m away on holiday, hence the delay.

        I’m really thrilled to know that carrot cake was a huge hit at your place and your kids also enjoyed it. Thanks for trying the recipes from here.

        Btw, I’m not that slim, it’s all photo technique ;) However I try to do some exercise once in a while when I feel that I’m crossing the weight limit. Even I dont have control in eating, my will power is very bad :(

        Cheers
        Maria

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