By: J.Patterson
It’s the Monday of a long weekend. Stores are closed, and you suddenly remember you’ve got dinner guests coming—and one of them has a birthday. Here’s a cake you can whip up in, oh I don’t know, about 12–20 minutes. And it’s divine.
By: J.Patterson
It’s the Monday of a long weekend. Stores are closed, and you suddenly remember you’ve got dinner guests coming—and one of them has a birthday. Here’s a cake you can whip up in, oh I don’t know, about 12–20 minutes. And it’s divine.
This one’s a gem. I’ve been mildly obsessed with carrot cake since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Over the years I’ve made it ten ways till Sunday, but I was always hunting for something simple to make yet a little more grown-up in flavour—something that felt thoughtful in its ingredients without being fussy.
This recipe came together after a lot of baking—cakes, quick breads, yeasted, non-yeasted, you name it—at a time when I finally started to understand ingredients and technique more intimately. The result?
A wonderfully rich flavour that isn’t cloyingly sweet (a common carrot-cake crime), a structure that’s fluffy and moist, and a crumb that holds up beautifully to icing… though honestly, it’s good enough to eat plain. The ingredients are straightforward but high-quality, and you won’t find vegetable oil or white sugar here.
And now for the trick that sets this cake apart—and it’s non-negotiable. Separate your eggs and whip the egg whites. Truly. It’s one of our favourite techniques for cake and muffin-style bakes because it lifts the crumb and keeps everything light and tender, never dense or wet. Yes, it’s one extra step, but it makes all the difference.
Makes one 20 cm (8”) cake, loaf, or muffin tin
Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs (or 3 medium), separated
115 g (½ cup) brown sugar
100 ml olive oil (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp)
15 ml (1 Tbsp) miso paste
Dry Ingredients
150 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose or 00 flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix-ins
200–240 g grated carrot — about 2–3 medium carrots
75 g (⅔ cup) walnuts, chopped
75 g (½ cup) jumbo raisins, plumped on the stovetop in a few spoonfuls of water or brandy
Orange zest
For the tins
Butter or coconut oil, plus a little flour (for greasing)
Preheat the oven: to 180°C (350°F).
Prepare the pan: grease with butter or coconut oil, then dust with flour.
Prepare the mix-ins:
Toss everything together with a spoonful of flour and a little cinnamon (to stop sinking).
Separate the eggs: place whites in one bowl, yolks in another.
Make the wet mixture: add the olive oil and miso to the yolks. Set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients: combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
Whip the egg whites: beat until stiff, then slowly add the sugar until fluffy like meringue.
Mix the wet mixture: use the same beaters to fully blend the yolk/oil/miso bowl.
Make the batter: use the beaters to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
Fold in the whites: gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a spatula.
Add the mix-ins: fold in the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
Fill the pan: pour in the batter until almost full, leaving a little room at the top. Smooth the surface.
Bake: for 45–50 minutes, checking at 40. A toothpick should come out clean.
Cool and enjoy: let cool slightly before slicing (or enjoy warm).
Honestly, you can enjoy this just as it is — maybe with a little pat of butter if you’ve made it in loaf or muffin form.
If you want to make it more of a show-stopper, our favourite icing is simple and full of flavour: a quick blend of local wildflower honey, orange zest, and a soft, tangy cream cheese. We use a small-batch cream cheese that’s around 4% fat — creamy, a little tangy, rich in flavour but still light enough that it doesn’t feel heavy after dinner.
(If you can’t find something similar, Philadelphia or any cream cheese around 10% fat or less — ideally without additives— works perfectly.)
For the neatest finish, let the cake cool fully — even pop it in the fridge for a bit — and keep the icing chilled until you’re ready to pipe.
Simple rosettes piped on top look beautiful. Add some fresh orange zest over the rosettes just before serving, plus a dusting of cinnamon or, even better, freshly grated nutmeg.
