Carrot, Cranberry and Walnut Cake

This light and scrumptious carrot cake completely hits the spot and comes with an easy to follow recipe.

It is no secret that I love carrot cake. It is moist, light, scented with spice and you can even add other fruits and nuts in. So comforting, just my kind of dessert. I am hoping that it is your kind of dessert too.

Sometime back I shared a recipe for Carrot and Sultana Muffins but I think it is high time I shared a recipe for carrot cake with you. This recipe is for a light and scrumptious carrot cake. I have added cranberries and walnuts in mine but you can replace the cranberries with sultanas if you prefer. I have been making this for a long time. It is a very easy to follow recipe and I dare say you will not be disappointed with the results.

Moving on from the cake, do you guys use a heart rate monitor when you work out? Prior to this, I never did use one but the people over at Beets Blu have sent me one to try out. As I have not used a heart rate monitor before, I don't have anything to compare it too. I am not a techie person so I like gadgets that are easy to use and can integrate seamlessly with my existing tech. 

I currently use an iPhone 5 and I am already an existing user of the Runkeeper app. As such, for me, this HRM is really easy to use right out of the box. It synced up easily with my Runkeeper app and was comfortable to be worn. I wore it out on a 3 mile run and subsequently for an 8 mile trek. On both occasions there were no problems with the chest strap sliding down or needing readjusting once I wore it. 

Overall, any prejudices that I may have had about HRMs have been displaced by this little gadget. It is fun to be able to see my heart rate graphs after each workout and more importantly, it allows me to gain more insight into my workouts - like letting me know whether I have worked hard enough to burn off this carrot cake. If you do use a hear rate monitor let me know which ones you use in the comments below. Have a great week guys!

Click here for the Printable Recipe

Recipe for Carrot Cranberry and Walnut Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes / Baking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 Cups Carrots (peeled and grated - if you have a food processor, use the grating blade)

1½ Cup Plain Flour      

2 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

4 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Walnuts (roughly chopped)

¾ Cup Cranberries  

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Line a 10 inch springform tin with parchment paper.

2. Grate carrots and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon into a mixing bowl.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add in the vanilla essence, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Whisk together till it is evenly mixed.

4. Fold in the sifted dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition.

5. Add the grated carrots, walnuts and cranberries and fold through evenly.

6. Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for at least 5 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.