Eggless Carrot and Walnut Cake

Super moist and delicious carrot cake with walnuts. This cake is eggless and flavored with orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Can be served plain or with classic cream cheese frosting.

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation Time : 30 Minutes

Baking Time : 50 Minutes

Yield : One 8 Inch cake

Ingredients

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour or Maida + 1 tablespoon for coating the nuts
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
• a big pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest / Lemon Zest
• 1 Cup granulated white Sugar ( I powdered the regular granulated white sugar in the food processor until it is fine powder)
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tablespoon Honey
• 1/2 Cup buttermilk ( to get 1/2 cup buttermilk ->  add 1/2 Teaspoon distilled white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and let it rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the milk will curdle and buttermilk is ready to be used.

        I had also tried this recipe with 1/2 cup thick curd/plain natural yogurt instead of 1/2 buttermilk. I find the cake with buttermilk more moist and soft when compared to the cake with curd(plain natural yogurt)

• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 and 1/2 Cup Finely grated Carrots ( I used delhi carrots)
• 1/2 Cup chopped  walnuts ( You can use any nut of your choice)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 170 C. Grease and dust a 8 inch cake pan and set aside

2. In a bowl, add all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, salt and whisk until combined. Set aside

3. In a small bowl , add walnuts and toss them with 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour. This will prevent the nuts from settling down at the bottom of the cake while baking

4. In a large mixing bowl, add powdered granulated white sugar and oil and beat it on low speed for a minute using a hand mixture

5. Once the sugar is well combined with the oil, add honey and beat for 30 seconds

6. Then add buttermilk or yogurt and beat for a minute until the mixture is smooth

7. Add vanilla extract and orange zest to the wet ingredients and stir in

8. Now add the dry ingredients we have in the bowl ( prepared at step number 2) in to the wet ingredients in 3 additions beating the mixture on medium speed after each addition

9. Add walnuts coated with all purpose flour we prepared at step number 3 in the cake batter and gently fold them in using a spatula

10. Finally fold in finely grated carrots in to the cake batter

11. Pour the cake batter in the greased cake pan and bake at 170 C for 50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. After 40 minutes of baking, check if the cake is done. Baking time differs in each oven

12. Once out of the oven, let the cake remain in the pan for 5 minutes

13. Then invert the cake on a cooling wire rack and cool completely

14. Slice the cake; Serve it simple and plain or serve it with classic cream cheese frosting