Carrot Zucchini Easter Cake
I love that this Carrot Zucchini Easter Cake is a single layer cake recipe and doesn’t involve decorating with piping bags or fancy decorating tips. You don’t even need a mixer at all. You can make this completely by hand. That’s always a plus in my book. It’s all completely edible which is another great aspect of the recipe.
The carrots on top are made of marzipan that comes ready made from the store. All you have to do is tint it orange and shape them into tiny carrots. It’s a lot easier than you might think. I’m not a cake decorator at all, so I always say that if I can do it, you definitely can as well. It’s the perfect cake to add to your Easter brunch or dinner table. You don’t want to miss out!
Carrot Zucchini Easter Cake
Don't let this Carrot Zucchini Easter Cake fool you, it's actually quite simple to make. The best part is that it's a single layer cake, moist because of the carrots and zucchini, and topped with a delicious honey cream cheese frosting and cute marzipan carrots and pistachios!
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pan
- Mixer
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely grated
- 1 small zucchini finely grated
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon milk
Carrots:
- 7 ounces marzipan
- orange paste food coloring
- fresh mint
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and all-spice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the eggs, carrots, and zucchini whisking rapidly until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, and fold until just combined, and no flour remains in the batter. Do not over mix at this stage. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter on high, until light and fluffy. Beat in the honey and then add the powdered sugar with a pinch of salt, beating on high to combine. Whisk in the milk until you get a smooth spreadable frosting.
- To make the marzipan carrots, wearing gloves, place a small amount of gel food coloring into the marzipan and knead with your hands until it’s evenly colored. Divide into 7 to 8 even pieces, and then shape into carrots. Use a toothpick to create “lines” on the surface of each carrot. Place a small sprig of mint on the top of each.
- Spread the cooled cake with the frosting and then sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Then stick the carrots on top of the frosting, to create a garden. Cut and serve or place in the fridge until ready to eat. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
