This post is part of Nielsen-Massey and Baking Mad’s Easter baking campaign, where they asked baking bloggers to try one of their twenty four delicious vanilla based recipes. They asked me if I would like to take part and I jumped at the chance as I love Nielsen-Massey vanilla so was very happy to be sent some for free! (I’m not just saying I love it because I was given free stuff – I genuinely mean it and I get through vast quantities of the stuff!). They sent me a lovely hamper full of vanilla extract, vanilla paste, vanilla bean pods and Billington’s golden caster sugar and golden icing sugar.
I decided to try their carrot cake recipe as I really like carrot cake but it had been several years since I had made/eaten any. The recipe was fairly simple and straightforward, but is a little different to the standard carrot cake as it contains pineapple, pistachios and pecan nuts; the cakes are also brushed with a lemon and vanilla sugar syrup when they come out of the oven, which not only provides a burst of flavour, but also helps to keep them lovely and moist.
The icing is a cream cheese icing (you can’t have carrot cake without cream cheese icing!) but again is a little different as it is flavoured with vanilla bean paste and made with golden icing sugar which lends it a fantastic fudgy caramel flavour (you could get away with using regular white icing sugar but I really do recommend trying the golden one – it has a completely different taste). It also contains more sugar than standard cream cheese icing, which means that there is no chance of it going runny – it is the perfect texture for spreading and piping. Even though it is sweeter, when paired with the cake I found it to have the perfect level of sweetness, and you still get a tang from the cream cheese.
The cake is made with wholemeal rather than plain flour, which, combined with the fact that it is packed full of fruit, vegetables and nuts, means that you can almost feel good about eating it (I’m not saying it’s healthy – it is still cake after all, just a healthier choice than say, chocolate fudge cake…). I can honestly say it was one one the nicest carrot cakes I have ever eaten, the addition of things like pistachios, vanilla bean paste and golden icing sugar made it feel a little bit dressed up and special, a slightly more grown-up version of carrot cake, but still one that everyone will enjoy. I decorated mine with chopped pistachios and freeze dried raspberry pieces for a bit of colour. You can find the recipe on the Baking Mad site here.
Something to take note of if you decide to make it that I didn’t do but you should (I was pressed for time to take photos) – I suggest refrigerating the cake for an hour or so after you ice it, as all of the fruit, nuts and wholemeal make it a little crumbly and I found it difficult to slice neatly. Mine kept well and stayed moist for about four days in airtight container, it may well have kept for longer, but by that point it was all gone…
I am sharing this with Totally Talented Tuesdays, Create Link Inspire, Foodie Fridiy, Fiesta Friday and Foodie Friends Friday
skd
Looks stunning. Can’t resist trying my hand at this..
hannahhossack
Thank you! 🙂
Girl and the Kitchen
This is so beautiful! I love the design on top with the pistacios!!! YUM!
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂
Girl and the Kitchen
I didn’t realize you partied with us as well!!! Thank you for linking it with us at #FoodieFriDIY! It’s one of my fave features this week!
hannahhossack
What can I say, I like to party! 🙂
Julie is Hostess At Heart
I would have died and gone to heaven had this basket shown up on my door step. I love nielsen-massey vanilla. Your cake looks just amazingly beautiful. Great job!
hannahhossack
I was VERY happy! I get through so much of the stuff!
Annie Allen
wow, stunningly beautiful! really looks so so pretty with the green and red on top! you are a true artist! plus, it looks delicious of course, i love carrot cake! another one for me to make! xxx
hannahhossack
Aww thanks Annie 🙂 It was really delicious, it’s been years since I last made carrot cake, I’d forgotten how good it is! xxx
Ginger
This looks fabulous! I always admire your details, such as the crescent-shaped sprinkles – ingenious!
hannahhossack
Thanks Ginger! 🙂 Unfortunately the crescent shape meant that people eating one side of the cake didn’t get any sprinkles! (It looked pretty though)
Hilda
I’ve never heard of golden icing sugar before, but then I always learn something new at FF. This cake looks fabulous, and you have done such a lovely job of decorating it.
hannahhossack
I’ve only used it a couple of times, not everywhere sells it, but it does taste sooo good!
Kate (@Newmummykate)
Oh WOW this looks absolutely stunning and I bet it tastes amazing too.
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂 it certainly didn’t last long!
Divine Spice Box
Looks delish .. so decadent.. and as many have said before, love the pistachio design on top.. it is infact the show stealer ! Absolute stunning ! Thanks for sharing on FF 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you! I was quite pleased with my sprinkling skills :p
Jhuls
Wow! How beautiful is this cake?? Good job as always, Hannah. <3
hannahhossack
Thanks Jhuls 🙂
tentimestea
The pistachios on the top look beautiful and the flavours sound delicious! I’ve never seen golden icing sugar before. It brought such a beautiful colour to the icing, and from the sounds of it, an amazing taste as well!
I sometimes forget how good vanilla, even when it’s a background flavour; this is definitely inspiring me to use vanilla more 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you! I think a lot of places don’t sell golden icing sugar…it is worth seeking out though, sooo tasty! I love vanilla and use it in almost everything (hence why I was so pleased to be sent some for free!) even if it is just used to enhance other flavours such as chocolate
carolinescookingblog
Looks lovely! I do like carrot cake, and so prettily decorated.
hannahhossack
Thank you! I don’t make it nearly often enough…
Amanda
I love carrot cake, and yours looks fantastic!! Love the design on top 🙂
hannahhossack
Thank you!
Helen at Casa Costello
How do you do it? Every bake is more gorgeous than the rest. I’ve never thought to use wholemeal flour in carrot cake – good call. Love the clever decorations too. Thanks once again for joining in with #Bakeoftheweek
hannahhossack
Aww Thanks Helen 🙂 The wholemeal flour worked incredibly well, you couldn’t even tell that it was wholemeal!
Jenny @ modern family baking
This is such a beautiful cake! Popping over from recipe of the week / bake of the week. I’ve actually just launched a new linky called #FamilyBakes on my site Modern Family Baking if you were interested in joining in?
Cupcake Crazy Gem
This looks gorgeous! I’m making mine tomorrow so glad to hear it was tasty!
hannahhossack
Thank you 🙂 It was lovely, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
lucyparissi
Oh my that looks so delicious! Carrot cake is my husband’s specialty and neither one of us have made any in ages… I do think that when you add pineapple and pecans it is technically a hummingbird cake… but don’t quote me on that! Thanks for linking this gorgeous bake to #CookBlogShare
hannahhossack
I hadn’t made one in many years, there are just so many things I want to bake that a lot of old favourites get forgotten about! I think you might be right on the hummingbird front, either way it’s delicious! 🙂
Steph @MisplacedBrit
Absolutely mouthwatering! Your food photography is awesome 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Steph! 🙂