This was my first Carrot Cake ever. I am not a big fan of mixing vegetables into sweets. However, this is a classic, and it is not necessarily bad. I decided to share the joy of my little one, right on her birthday – therefore, Peppa Carrot Cake.
My Carrot Cake is a bit unusual from the classics we know. I am using butter instead of oil. I also included a nice portion of Apfelmus and nuts. It is eggless and for the frosting I am using lighter version of a flavored yogurt. The cake is quite moist, full of nutty flavor and incredibly yummy. Let’s begin!
Depending on food tolerance of each baby, My Peppa Carrot Cake is suitable for babies 2 plus. I included baking powder and nuts, which can cause allergic reactions. Be aware of that.
Total Time: 3 hours
Shopping list
The Yogurt Frosting as per in my Peach and Apricot Cupcakes Recipe:
350g of quality plain white yogurt
2 teaspoons of quality vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon of juice from lemon
The Carrot Cake of 2 layers:
150g of butter, soft in cubes
300g of caster superfine sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Juice from 1 lemon + 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
500g of Apfelmus
700g of quality carrot, peeled, washed and grated
150g of plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons of baking powder, sifted
400g of desirable nuts (I used mix of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds), mashed
Grated carrot, marzipan figures of carrots or desirable cartoons (In my case Peppa Pig, of course) to decorate
Instructions
The Yogurt Frosting
Start with The Frosting, so it has time to rest in the fridge and becomes a good consistency to work with.
In a small mixing bowl place yogurt and vanilla extract. Mix and add 3 tablespoons of icing sugar with a splash of lemon.
Mix for another 1 minute and do not forget to taste. Done. Cover and refrigerate.
Next, preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
The Carrot Cake
In a large mixing bowl place butter and sugar. Whisk on low-speed to smoothen it for a bit. Then, increase the speed to the highest.
Add cinnamon and continue mixing for about 2-3 minutes until it becomes nice and fluffy texture.
Pour in splash of lemon juice with Apfelmus and mix for another 1 minute.
Stir in the carrots (one-third at a time) until it is well processed.
Add flour with baking powder and mix on a low-speed.
By using spatula only, stir in nuts (one-third at a time) and mix until you get homogenous texture.
Mold the mixture equally into 2 round tins (I used 21cm), lightly greased and lined with some baking paper.
Bake in the oven for about 1 hour until darkens. As the carrot is quite moist, it won’t get dry within an hour, so don’t be afraid that it is raw in the middle. Shake it a bit, so you can feel the texture, similarly to a cheesecake. If it is firm, you are good to go. Take the tins out and let them cool down entirely.
Presentation
Place a bit of cream on your serving plate and gently place the first carrot cake layer upside down.
By using a knife put some good amount of the frosting on top of it.
Smoothen with a flat knife and place the second carrot cake layer on the top. Cover with the rest of The Yogurt Frosting, on top and a bit on sides, too.
The best is to refrigerate the cake one night ahead, so the taste comes within and flavours work well.
Just before serving, decorate with some Marzipan figures and freshly grated carrot.
Makes 10-12 serves.
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Here are some more tips for “little”parties: Pizza Celebration Treats and fruit baskets, yummy for the eye, as well as for the tummies.