Name: Carrot cake tray bake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 16 slices
Ingredients: 420 g golden granulated sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp mixed spice; 350 g baking margarine; 4 medium free range eggs; 150 g carrot (grated); 400 g wholemeal self-raising flour; 500 g icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 200 g full fat cream cheese; 75 g walnuts

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My family enjoyed a special occasion recently, so I thought I’d celebrate with my very favourite cake: a moist, delicious, easy to make and perfectly spiced carrot cake tray bake.

Finished serving of carrot cake tray bake

I love everything about carrot cake. There’s something about the earthy sweetness of the mixed spice and carrots paired with the soft sponge and the smooth cream cheese that just works so impossibly well.

A sliced serving of the carrot cake tray bake on a plate with a desert fork.

This carrot cake tray bake hits all the right notes in every single bite. It boasts a moist, sweet, decadently rich carrot cake sponge and the topping is cool, creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting.

For a little extra taste and texture, I add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Perfection!

Here’s how to make this carrot cake tray bake. You’ll need one bowl and one baking tray. Now that’s what I call simple!

Ingredients

For the carrot cake sponge

420 g (14.8 oz) golden granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mixed spice
350 g (12.3 oz) baking margarine
4 medium free range eggs
150 g (5.3 oz) carrot grated
400 g (14.1 oz) wholemeal self-raising flour

For the cream cheese frosting

500 g (1.1 lb) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g (7.1 oz) full fat cream cheese
75 g (2.6 oz) walnuts

Equipment

Instructions

Make the carrot cake sponge

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).

Beat the sugar and baking margarine together until pale and well-combined.

Start creating the carrot cake tray bake mixture by combining the margarine with sugar.

The carrot cake tray bake mixture in a mixing bowl having been mixed

Beat in the eggs.

Adding the eggs to the carrot cake tray bake mixture.

The smooth carrot cake tray bake mixture once the eggs have been added and mixed.

Fold in the flour and spice with a metal spoon.

Adding the flour to the carrot cake tray bake mixture.

What the carrot cake tray bake mixture will look like in the serving bowl once the flour has been mixed in.

Fold in the carrot and vanilla.

Adding the carrot and vanilla to the carrot cake tray bake mixture.

The carrot cake tray bake mixture once the carrot has been mixed in the mixing bowl.

Tip the batter into the greased tin, level off and bake for 35-45 minutes until just firm in the centre.

Levelling the carrot cake tray bake batter in the baking tin.

The carrot cake tray bake cooling on a wire rack having been baked in the oven.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Tipping the carrot cake tray bake out of the cake tin to allow it to thoroughly cool on the wire rack.

Once cool transfer to a serving board.

Once cooled the carrot cake tray bake is moved onto a serving board.

Make the cream cheese frosting

Beat the icing sugar, vanilla and cream cheese together until light and smooth.

Start making the cheese cream frosting for the carrot cake tray bake by beating together the cream cheese, vanilla and icing sugar.

What the mixing bowl should look like once you've beaten together the ingredients for the carrot cake tray bake frosting.

Spread over the cake – it should be a gorgeous, loose, creamy frosting.

Spreading the creamy frosting over the carrot cake tray bake

Roughly chop the walnuts and sprinkle evenly all over the frosting.

A overhead view of the carrot cake tray bake where you can see the texture of the frosting and chopped walnuts.

Cut the cake into 16 equal pieces.

The carrot cake tray bake which has been cut into servings.

A overhead shot of the carrot cake tray bake which has been cut into serving portions.

Dig in.

A finished slice of carrot cake tray bake ready to be served.

Tips and tricks for the best possible carrot cake tray bake.

Try these secrets to get the tastiest, moistest carrot cake tray bake. Plus grab advice on the best way to store it.

Which fat is best for carrot cake?

I find that baking margarine works perfectly in this carrot cake tray bake, but oil can work well too.

In cake making, oil is added to the batter to keep everything super moist and to help open up the other flavours.

Almost any cooking oil with a neutral smell and taste will work – you could try vegetable, sunflower, peanut or corn oil. for example.

Which nuts are best for carrot cake?

Personally, I think walnuts are the perfect nut to pair with carrots cake. They add crunch, but not too much. They’re mild, but with some bitter and tangy notes. Delicious.

However, if you’re not a walnut fan, you might try pecans and pistachios which also work really well. Avoid salted or flavoured nuts for this bake.

What kind of cream cheese should I use for carrot cake icing?

A fork of carrot cake tray bake ready to be eaten.

It’s best to use full-fat cream cheese for the icing – it offers the best taste and texture. In the UK, cream cheese comes in a tub and if you find it has a lot of water around it when opened, it’s best to drain that off.

If you prefer, reduced-fat cream cheese will also work and be very tasty. However, the consistency of reduced-fat cream cheese can really vary, so add it to the sugar bit by bit until you have a spreadable icing.

Why is my carrot cake dry? How do I make my carrot cake more moist?

This carrot cake tray bake is best eaten on the day of baking.

After that, as with any cake, the sponge will begin to lose some of its moistness and seem dry.

Storing the carrot cake in an airtight container not much bigger than the cake and in the fridge will help.

A serving of carrot cake tray bake sliced on a plate with a fork.

If you found your carrot cake to be dry directly out of the oven then the most likely cause is that you have over baked it. This could either be due to an oven that’s too hot or baking for too long.

Pay careful attention to your oven temp and cooking times and keep an eye on your sponge in the last 10 minutes as it may be ready a little early. You can make sure your cake is fully cooked by inserting a flat skewer into the centre of the cake – it should come out clean.

The third most common cause of a dry sponge is not putting enough oil or other wet ingredient in the mix, so check your quantities were correct. Egg weights can vary a little, so if you usually add a splash of milk to your bakes, feel free to do so with this one.

Can I make carrot cake cupcakes?

Yes, you can indeed use this recipe to make carrot cake cupcakes. I haven’t tested this specific recipe as cupcakes yet, so let me know how you get on.

There is enough batter in this recipe to make 24 cupcakes. I’d recommend halving all of the give quantities, and then sharing the resulting batter between a well greased non-stick 12-hole muffin tray.

If you prefer, you can use paper muffin cases. You may find the carrot cake mixture sticks to the cupcake cases a little more than a traditional sponge would.

Your cooking time for muffins will likely be shorter than with a tray bake, so check them after 20 minutes in the same way you would a traybake ie by inserting a flat skewer into the centre of a cake and making sure it comes out clean.

Should I put carrot cake in the fridge? How is it best to store my carrot cake?

As your carrot cake is frosted with cream cheese, it needs to go in the fridge, where it will last for up to 3 days.

Remember to store it in an airtight container to keep it moist and fresh, and avoid absorbing other odours and flavours from the fridge.

Where was carrot cake invented?

Carrots have been a beloved part of sweet baking for a long time.

Sweet carrot puddings were baked in Europe as far back as the Middle Ages, because sugar was scarce and very expensive, so the naturally sweet carrots made for a great alternative.

Can I freeze carrot cake?

Yes, carrot cake can be frozen, just be aware that the cream cheese frosting made not have quite such a creamy smooth frosting afterwards.

To defrost simply place the carrot cake in the fridge overnight.

I would recommend cutting the carrot cake tray bake into slices and freezing them in a single layer in a sealed container. Then you can defrost them a slice at a time, as and when you fancy.

Can carrot cake tray bake be made in advance?

Yes, it’s a breeze to make this carrot cake in advance.

My preference is to bake the traybake the night before and leave it to cool overnight, covered with a tea towel. Then, in the morning, I whip up the icing, spread it over the cake, sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

Alternatively, you can make the whole carrot cake tray bake the night before, cream cheese icing and all, then pop it in a sealed container in the fridge to enjoy the next day.

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5 from 2 votes

Carrot cake tray bake

This carrot cake tray bake hits all the right notes in every single bite. It boasts a moist, sweet, decadently rich carrot cake sponge and the topping is cool, creamy, sweet cream cheese frosting. For a little extra taste and texture, I add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Perfection!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: cakes and bakes

Cuisine: English

Keyword: cake, cake recipe, carrot cake, carrot cake recipe, carrot cake tray bake, carrot cake tray bake recipe, tray bake, tray bake recipe

Servings: slices

Calories: 562.53kcal

Author: Emily Leary