First things first… THIS CAKE! Peach and carrot may sound like a strange combination but it definitely isn’t. It’s one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever made, and I ate about half of it in a couple of days (don’t worry, the other half was eaten too, but not by me).
And you know what else? I forgot about my blog birthday.. yet again. I forget every year! I guess that happens when the blog is growing up, each birthday gets less and less noteworhty. Now the blog is 7 years old. Crazy!
I also have some other exciting news to share with you.. I’m one of the finalists in the Best Baking & Sweets category in the Saveur Blog Awards. It’s seriously such a great honor to be a finalist! Click here to view all finalists and to cast your votes, or click the Saveur link in the sidebar to the right. Remember to vote early and often!
PEACH CARROT CAKE
WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes one 6-inch cake, serves 8-10
Ingredients
For the cake
150 g salted butter
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (65 g) light brown muscovado sugar, firmly packed
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 1/4 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
250 g carrots (about 1 3/4 cups when grated)
1 can (around 410 g) of peach halves in juice (2/3 cup of peach puree will be used in the cake, save the rest for filling)
For the cream cheese frosting
150 g softened butter
200 g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 – 1 cup (110-150 g) powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
For the filling
Remaining peach puree
Caramelized peaches
3-4 fresh peaches (I used donut peaches)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar, loosely packed
Fresh blackberries
Directions
Cake
1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Butter and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
3. Melt the butter and leave to cool.
4. Beat eggs and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add melted butter and vanilla and beat until combined.
5. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl, then stir into the batter until just smooth.
6. Peel and grate the carrots. Put the peaches (without the juice) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
7. Add grated carrots and 2/3 cup of the peach puree to the batter and stir until combined. Divide batter between the two cake pans.
8. Bake for about 40-43 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream cheese frosting
1. Beat butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until just smooth.
2. Put the bowl in the fridge while you cut the cake.
Assembly (Check out my ‘How to fill and cover a cake’-guide)
1. Cut both cake layers in half with a serrated knife so you end up with four cake layers.
2. Put the first cake layer on a cake board or directly onto a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting on the first layer, then spread a layer of the peach puree over. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
3. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake and put in the fridge while you prepare the topping.
Caramelized peaches
1. Slice the fresh peaches. Heat the butter over medium heat in a non-reactive skillet. Add brown sugar and swirl with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts.
2. Add the peach slices and caramelize for 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely, then put them on top of the cake with blackberries.
Ok, this looks out of this world incredible! I love the barely there icing, such a pretty effect. Going to vote for you now 🙂
the Butter
This cake is everything! So delicious and pretty and photos are beautiful, beautiful! I am so happy that you finally got nominated and of course I will be voting for you, I am sure this is your year! 🙂
Wow this is amazing Linda! Congrats! I'm definitely going to vote for you!! Your work is wonderful and so inspirational! <3 the cake looks super delicious! I'd love to have a piece 🙂
So pretty! I love those drizzles! Also, I voted for you!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Congratulations Linda! I am not at all surprised, your work is always so beautiful and inspirational. Very well deserved. As for this cake – I have made other cakes of yours which have been divine, so if you say this is the nicest cake you have ever made, we are in for a serious treat. Absolutely stunning, as always! xx
Beautiful! So glad you were nominated by Saveur because your site is so lovely!
Looks absolutely gorgeous!
And big congrats ♡
Oh my God I love your cakes so much, they are the prettiest and look so delicious too!
I love carrot cake and this is a stunner! The naked look of this cake and the addition of peaches is a really great choice.
Congratulations on the nomination too!
Congratulations! You totally deserved the nomination. Your photography and recipes are so inspiring! <3
I cannot believe this is the first time I am commenting here Linda! I have admired your beautiful work for so long, and really look up to your creativity and beautiful space here <3. Mega congrats on your nomination on Saver this year! I am so so so happy to see you recognized and celebrated! Woo hoo! And this cake, goodness, I'm loving this combo and if it isn't just the most stunning thing I ever saw <3
Hi sweet Jessie! I'm so glad you took the time to comment on here! Thank you for your incredibly sweet and thoughtful words <3 They mean so much to me! And as for the cake.. Hope you get to try it one day, it's sooo good!! <3 <3
Gorgeous! Two questions: does it really serve 8-10 people?
How did you cut it? The photo slice doesn't look like a wedge.
Thanks!
Well, that depends of course, if you're eating a big meal before or if you're just eating cake 😉 The cake is quite tall though, so even a thin slice will do.
I cut it like I normally would (see the second photo of the cake from above)
Love the photos of the blackberries! Sure miss them from when I lived with a garden. And of course I voted 😉 🙂
Thank you so much Malin <3 I can understand why you miss them! Such a luxury to have them in the garden too..
These pictures as usual are SO BEAUTIFUL, Linda! And many congratulations again on your nomination, you have deserved it every year, you've inspired (ahem) so many new blogs out there, but no one can replicate your impeccable and original style! BIG LOVE, lady! XO
You are so sweet, Lyndsay!! The best <3
Thank you for your support, always. XOXO
This cakes looks delicious ! And is using season fruits ! I'm planning to try to bake it next week for my company bake-off contest 😉 I just have a question. I have trouble finding muscovado sugar (we'll try every shop here in Germany)…if I don't find it, do you think I can replace it with brown sugar ? xx
Thank you Julie!!
You can definitely use regular brown sugar instead! Just make sure it's the "wet" kind or the measurements will be off 🙂 Good luck!
This looks absolutely luscious!!!! Love the look of those juicy, shiny peaches. <33 And I'm terrible with remembering OR celebrating my blogiversary. I'm just terrible with dates, period. Hah!
Haha, me too! <3 That's ok though if there is cake 😉
Hi there, long time reader, first time commenter. This cake looks so delicious that I'm going to attempt it for my parents' anniversary this week. Would you recommend using fresh ripe peaches over the peach halves in juice? And congrats on being a Saveur finalist!
Ahh, so sorry for the late reply!!
I'm sure you could use fresh peaches too, it will just take some more time to peel them. I would probably add a little lemon juice along with the peches so the baking soda has something to react with 🙂 And thank you so much!!
I love your photos and your cakes. They always look so amazing. And congrats to your nomination!
Thank you so much <3
Thank you for posting this recipe, the cake was easy to make the instructions easy to follow and the end result delicious!!
Really happy you enjoyed it Amanda!!
Stumbled upon your blog via the Saveur awards and I am obsessed with your photography! I love the depth of color and variety of photo, not to mention how the delicious-looking your food is. I just posted my version of carrot cake on my site, but love the idea of using peaches as an extra snap of sweet. Well done and best of luck with Saveur!
Delightful idea! This recipe is beautiful.
Cake looks absolutely perfect! And congrats on being a finalist! I voted for you 🙂
This looks so delicious! I will make this cake for my friend’s birthday this friday! Hugs and kisses all the way from Mexico! You are a huge inspiration
Love this recipe. The cake is light, delicious, and the addition of peaches and blackberries superb! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
This cake was so moist and absolutely delicious. I have also made your Cardamom Pear Cake and it was also just amazing. My next cake will be the banana bundt cake and I can’t wait to try your cinnamon bun cake too. You make such amazing cakes! And they are so beautifully photographed!
I have done it – double size for 15 guests
and it was great!!!
thank you
Yaay! Soo glad you enjoyed it <3
Beautiful cake! Can vanilla extract be substituted for the vanilla powder?
Definitely!! Thanks a lot :-*
This cake! I made it last Christmas and this year I have people fighting over who will “borrow” it and eat it in one go. One tip is with the icing, it needs to be refrigerated after mixing for an hour otherwise it will be a delicious mess. Follow the recipe as is and happiness will occur after ?
Hi there,
I know this is an old recipe but would like to make this cake for my son’s Birthday – can you replace the vanilla sugar with vanilla essence? Also is granulated sugar plain white sugar?
Thanks so much!
Hi! 🙂 You can use vanilla essence but of course it’s nicer with real vanilla if possible! Granulated sugar is plain white sugar!
Why is there no Print button on your pages? Would be very useful.
There is! At the bottom of each recipe.
I made these into cupcakes and wow! Best I’ve ever had or made, so looking forward to creating some of your other recipes and sharing them with my friends in Kenya and SA!
Yay, so glad to hear that!! Thanks for your comment Kaeli 🙂
I think you’ve made a mistake. Above the recipe it says ‘makes one 6 inch cake’. But in the instructions you divide the batter into TWO six inch cake tins. I followed your instructions but there is absolutely no way I can now slice my teeny weeny cakes in half. Really disappointed. This recipe needs to be doubled in order to make two six inch cakes that can be sliced through the middle.
Hi Sarah! Sorry you’re having issues with this recipe! I’ve made this recipe probably 15 times or so, so I know it’s correct. The recipe makes one 6 inch layer cake, but two cake layers which are then both split in half, if that makes sense. They should definity be thick enough to slice in half. Did you use baking soda and baking powder?
Hi, I’d like to
Make this for a baby shower along with some muffins. Can this recipe be easily made into muffins/cupcakes, also ahead of time?
I’m thinking about making it all today and refrigerating, decorating the day after just before the shower
Please and thanks!!
Hey Em! Sorry for the late response! I’ve never made it into muffins but I bet it’d work! You can always make them and freeze them, then decorate before the shower as you say 🙂
Linda, thank you for yet another great inspiration. Do you think I could substitute some part of melted butter with oil?
Hii Elina! I bet you could replace some of it, but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure!
Has anyone tried to make a bigger version of this cake?
Or a sheet cake version? Trying to figure out the measurements for that. Making this cake for about 40 people. Make this cake all the time, so delish!
That makes me so happy to hear, Ashley! I’ve never tried making it bigger than this sadly.. I hope you were able to figure it out!