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1½ cups plain flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
⅔ cup caster sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp all spice
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
1¼ cups rice bran or other neutral vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
3 large carrots, grated (about 3 cups)
227g tin of crushed pineapple in juice, strained
⅔ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Swiss Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream
2 egg whites
½ cup sugar
165g butter, cubed (room temp)
165g cream cheese (room temp)
small pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Line a 23cn cake tin with baking paper.
Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl and whisk to combine (tip in the wholemeal flour flakes that won’t go through the sieve).
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs lightly, then add in the oil, vanilla, orange zest and juice, carrot and pineapple. Stir to combine, then fold into the dry ingredients, along with the walnuts.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 80–85 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and ice once cooled.
Icing
Whisk the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler where the water is just simmering, until the sugar has dissolved and the mix is starting to heat up. It’s easiest to test this by dipping your fingers in and rubbing them together. If you can still feel granules, keep whisking; if it is smooth and warm, it’s good to go.
Transfer this mix to a stand mixer and whisk on high until the meringue is completely stiff and has cooled to at least body temperature.
Once the meringue is stiff, start adding in the butter one cube at a time. Once this is fully incorporated, the mix should be thick and fluffy. Now start adding the cream cheese, small spoonfuls at a time.
Once the cream cheese is fully incorporated, add a small pinch of salt and the vanilla, then spread onto the carrot cake.
Note: Swiss meringue buttercream can have a tendency to split. Take it slow when adding the butter and cream cheese.
