Carrot and rosemary cake with a vanilla buttercream icing and orange curd

Carrot cake with buttercream icing is a classic. But even classics can use a refreshing twist from time to time. In our recipe for carrot cake with buttercream we have added rosemary and orange curd to give that extra twist. The sharp rosemary and the fresh orange curd are perfect additions to the carrot cake with buttercream.

With its pungent, eucalyptus-like flavour and smell, rosemary adds a nice spark to the traditional carrot cake. It is a good match for the tender carrots as it breaks up the sweet flavour without taking the entire spotlight. When making the cake mixture with the rosemary, you will discover a lovely pinewood scent that only brings extra joy to the baking process. You do not need to worry about the rosemary taking over the whole taste experience. All the flavours from orange, vanilla, carrot, and rosemary fuse perfectly and give you delicious taste.

Vanilla is always a welcome addition to cakes. It is sweet, soft, and it adds a lift to the flavour. In this carrot cake with buttercream, we also add an orange curd. Orange is sweeter and less tart than other citrus fruits such as lemon or grapefruit, so it does not interfere too much with the sweetness from vanilla and carrots. But it is still a citrus fruit, so it adds freshness and a lovely spark to the otherwise rich carrot cake with buttercream.

If you want to play with the recipe and make your own version, there are several ways of doing it. For example, adding a different flavour to the vanilla buttercream. You can still keep the vanilla flavour for sweetness, but you may want to try adding orange zest instead of lemon zest or maybe a few teaspoons of cocoa powder if you prefer a heavier cake with a darker look. For variation, try replacing some of the carrots with courgette and/or pumpkin. For extra crunch, add a handful of nuts or chocolate chunks. You can also change the look of the cake by piping the top layer of buttercream in a beautiful pattern instead of spreading it all over the surface. Use an icing bag and pipe stars, swirls, or whatever you like to create a personalised look for your carrot cake with buttercream icing. Experiment like only you can, cook.

Make sure that you fold the flour mix into the butter mixture and then add the carrots. If you beat or stir, you will knock out the air and not get a fluffy carrot cake. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes before you remove them from their tins. But make sure that they are still a bit warm as they might stick to the tin if they cool completely before they are removed. Always use a grater for the carrots. If you just chop them into small pieces with a knife, they will be uneven and too big and therefore will not cook properly in the oven with the rest of the cake.

Absolutely! This recipe is the perfect example of buttercream frosting being the perfect match for carrot cake.

Buttercream is a favourite but there are other types of icing you can experiment with. Whipped cream is an alternative. Simply whisk heavy cream with sugar until it is light and fluffy and decorate that carrot cake of yours. Cream cheese is another great and tasty choice. Do half and half buttercream and cream cheese and mix it together. Go for high quality and high-fat cream cheese since it tends to bring out a better texture. Flat icing is probably the simplest type of icing. Here you mix powdered sugar and water – you can add flavour with fruit or maybe even try out a few spices. Royal icing is similar to flat icing but here you add egg whites to get a thicker and slightly harder icing which goes well with carrot cake too.

In this recipe, we make carrot cake with vanilla buttercream icing. It is a perfect match – especially with the addition of a fresh and sweet orange curd and the piquant flavour of rosemary. You can also use other flavours for the buttercream icing, for example, orange or lemon. Or add your favourite herbs to the vanilla buttercream to add even more flavour, for example thyme or lavender.

It is easy and fast to make buttercream icing for carrot cake. Start by beating the butter with an electric mixer for about five minutes to make it fluffy. Add icing sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Add milk little by little and beat until you have a smooth mixture.

Mix orange zest, orange juice, caster sugar, butter, eggs, and cornflour in a pan over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture thickens, which takes about ten minutes. Turn the heat down and whisk a bit more before removing from the heat. Let the orange curd cool completely before using it.

Leftover orange curd from your baking? Orange curd is good for many things. In this recipe, we use it to add a twist to the traditional carrot cake with buttercream by adding it between the layers of cake and buttercream. But you can also use it as topping for pancakes, waffles, scones, or toast. Or as filling in a tart, macaroons, or sweet sandwiches.