A Carrot Cake Recipe That Wedding Dreams Are Made Of

In preparation for a wedding shoot we recently hosted, we got the chance to show off our semi-nude carrot cake – on-trend and perfect for the bride who wants a cake offering a blank canvas to decorate with flowers. The cake itself will please even the fussiest of palates, and you'll probably find wedding guests reaching for another slice - when no one is watching, of course.

This popular semi-nude frosting is not so much bare, but rather beautiful, complementing the exposed walls, rustic style and relaxed charm of De Zeven. If you were to book your wedding with us, we would delight in creating a cake to match your particular style and vision - giving you one less thing to worry about. Rest assured, your centrepiece will have the love and nostalgia of a home-baked cake with all the decadence of a cake from a pâtisserie.

Carrot cake is rich eating and has been served to guests worldwide, from George Washington's parties to early 20th century American bakers preparing the cake as an exotic German delicacy. A century prior, French cookbooks written for wealthy kitchens published recipes for carrot cake. There is nothing humble about the carrot cake. It is best suited for celebrations of the highest standard - like your wedding day.

Lucky for you, regardless of the season or occasion, you can now try the not-so-secret De Zeven recipe. You don’t need any fancy equipment, and you may find that you have most of the ingredients already waiting for you in your pantry.

Recipe and cake credit to our in-house baking queen: @corinas_homemade_kitchen

De Zeven Carrot Cake Recipe

Serves 12 slices

Ingredients:

2 large eggs at room temperature

175g molasses sugar

200ml sunflower oil

200g coarsely grated carrots

225g cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp grated nutmeg

115g roughly chopped pecan nuts

Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 190°C.

2.     Beat the eggs using an electric mixer until well blended.

3.     Add the sugar and oil before mixing well.

4.     Add the grated carrots, sift in the flour, baking soda and spices, then add the nuts, before using a spatula to fold all ingredients together until just incorporated.

5.     Grease and line a 20 cm cake tin with baking paper.

6.     Spread the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until the cake has nicely risen, firm to touch, and has begun to shrink away slightly from the edge of the tin.

7.     Tip:  If you're not sure if it's ready, stick a knife into the middle, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready to be taken out.

8.     Cool in the tin until just warm, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

9.     Tip: Place the cake in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container, before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

300g full fat cream cheese at room temperature

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon (optional)

3-4 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1.     Beat the cream cheese to soften it using an electric beater.

2.     Add in the lemon rind and juice (optional step).

3.     Finally, sieve in the icing sugar to taste and beat until there are no lumps.