Blood Orange, Carrot & Coconut Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
- 2 cups cake flour*
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch ground clove
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges
- 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice
- 1/3 cup milk
- 4 eggs, room temperature
Blood Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 250g/8.8ozs. cream cheese
- 85g/3ozs. butter, softened
- 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup blood orange juice
- Finely grated zest of 1 blood orange
- Baby pink edible colouring gel
To make 1 cup of cake flour, replace 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons cornflour/fine cornstarch
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150C/300F and line 2x18cm/7.2inch round springform tins on the base and sides. In a large bowl whisk the flour, brown sugar, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, vanilla, blood orange zest and carrots.
Step 2 - In a jug measure the oil, maple syrup, blood orange juice and milk and whisk in the eggs. Pour into the dry mix and mix until it just comes together. Divide this mixture among both tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed. Cool in tin for 10 minutes and then unclip and cool completely.
Step 3 - Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth in texture. Mix the icing sugar and blood orange juice together with the zest and add into the buttercream with a little pink colouring. Beat until just combined (do not overbeat). Store in the fridge to firm up a little.
Step 4 - Slice cakes in half horizontally (I left it as two layers but there is enough frosting to ice four layers). Place one layer on a cake board and layer with buttercream. Repeat with all other layers and spread cream cheese frosting around the edge. Refrigerate to firm and scrape with an acrylic frosting scraper. Decorate with flowers, leaves and dried blood oranges.