Similar to the Easiest Ackee Cake Ever this recipe has shredded carrots and spices added for a delicious eggless carrot cake with nutty undertones thanks to the ackees. I did not add nuts but you certainly could, in fact, I’d recommend it! Keeping it super simple yet big on flavour, it’s topped off with browned butter frosting 😋
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Now I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, but since around this time there is much talk about love; I’ve decided to share part of a love story of mine with you. That is, the story of my love of baking, but the bit that involves carrot cake, naivety and a little heartbreak but a happy ending beginning 😉
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved being in the kitchen. Throughout primary and high school I’d bake on the weekends and if there was ever a class party, generally, I’d be carrying cake. I never thought that I’d end up working as a pastry chef and in high school actually had no idea what I wanted to do and did a random assortment of subjects which included History, Accounting, French, Physics and Technical Drawing.
Though I don’t remember how I ended up making my first carrot cake for sale, I do remember that the person I made it for raved about it! They absolutely loved it. This was my first taste of what I love most about this job – satisfied customers.
The thought was that I could be that lady who sells cake to a local coffee shop and eventually, maybe, one day, have my own bakery.
And here comes the naivety: I made a sample batch of my scrumptious carrot cake and took it to a local coffee shop. The manager, I was told, unfortunately was not there so I left it with the person in charge along with my contact details (I was in college at this point and had a class to get to).
Now you may have already guessed, but the cake was eaten and I was never called 😢. I went to follow up (on the same day) and I was told that it was delicious, “everyone enjoyed it” but the manager (who interestingly was not there at that time either) was going to pass on the offer to buy.
Basically, I guess you could say I was scammed of a cake ☹️. I was shattered 😩 but it was a valuable lesson for me to learn, and to learn it early on was a good thing.
I started getting orders here and there and ONLY made carrot cakes until one day someone asked me to make a Black Forest cake, which I did and slowly my cake repertoire started to grow as requests for different things came in and my confidence grew.
Shortly after starting my student intern job at university, my supervisor and coworkers noticed my love for food particularly baking because anytime I was not studying, I’d be searching for recipes to try or reading about different recipe techniques. Two of my colleagues sought and got permission for me to sell my baked goodies and that was the beginning of this entire journey. I started my home based dessert business called “i-klek-tic desserts” and did a different dessert each week for delivery on Friday called “Fridays with i-klek-tic”. I developed a substantial customer base and enjoyed delivering to my customers each week, getting their feedback and coming up with even more creative and delicious desserts as the weeks went on.
I had been pursuing a degree in statistics which I strongly disliked and came to the realization that I’d much rather be in the culinary field. After the final year of my Statistics degree I “closed” i-klek-tic with the intention of going to culinary school in Trinidad after which I’d return home to Jamaica and officially launch or rather reopen i-klek-tic.
At Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI) in Chaguaramas, Trinidad I did the Culinary Management ASc and was awarded a scholarship through a partnership between CARICOM and the Canadian government which allowed me to travel to Canada for two semesters. Subsequently, I worked as a pastry cook at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for about 3 years.
In between all of this, I reconnected with Webster via facebook, we got married and now I live in Connecticut! I’ve learned to plan lightly, writing in pencil rather than trying to carve in stone since the Divine Architect always has a far greater plan than I can imagine.
Below is a picture of the cake I made for one of my final exams at TTHTI, it was a Phantom of the Opera themed wedding cake and if you guessed that I made carrot cake ☺ you’d be right!
Carrot Cake with Guinness Buttercream frosting (the recipe for that frosting is shared in this recipe for Golden Ackee Cake) As for the coffee shop, they closed down the year after I left for Trinidad 😏
If you stuck around to this point, thank you so much for taking the time to read this little journey down memory lane.
Carrot cake holds a very special place in my heart so when it came to formulating this version I wanted it to be just right. In fact I made three versions, with the third being the charm. Should you give it a try, my hope is that you enjoy it as much as I did.
So, what do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you make this or any of the recipes from this site be sure to #amazingackee and @amazingackee so I can see your posts across social media.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by 😊
Note: This recipe appears under the vegan tagged recipes since cake itself is vegan. Vegan butter or margarine won’t brown in the way butter would since it’s the caramelising of the proteins in the milk solids that result in the flavour and colour of browned butter. You could however, use vegan butter in place of the amount stated for the frosting and add a flavored extract to mimic the flavour or just substitute your favourite vegan frosting.
Ackee Carrot Cake
Simple and easy eggless carrot cake recipe using ackees which provide a nutty undertone
Ingredients
For the blender:
- 4 tbsps Vegetable oil*
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar**
- 2/3 cup Parboiled ackee
- 2/3 cup Cane sugar
For the bowl:
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded carrots
- 1 cup Cake flour****
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt I’ve been using kosher if you use sea salt measure it scantly
Optional:
- 1/4 cup Pecans walnuts or any kind of nuts you like, another good addition would be crystallized ginger
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 6-inch round cake pan
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Sift bowl ingredients into a medium bowl.
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Combine blender ingredients in blender and puree till smooth
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Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk till well combined but do not overmix
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Pour into prepared pan and bake in the centre of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or till done.
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Check it at the 15 minute mark.
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When done, remove from oven and let cool in pan for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely
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Frost if desired, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I’ve tested it using both canola and coconut oil. If you use unrefined coconut oil, the oil will impart some flavour in the cake which isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on what you’re going for
**I have not tested using plain vinegar, I prefer the flavour of apple cider vinegar for baking especially in such a simple cake
****I use Bob's Red Mill Super-fine Cake Flour Tips: I’ve tested this recipe using both cake and all-purpose flour, both work but I prefer the texture using the cake flour more. If your ackees are cold, warm them up a bit as the fats in the ackee will solidify and it will not blend smoothly
Note: This recipe appears under the vegan tagged recipes since cake itself is vegan. Vegan butter or margarine won't brown in the way butter would since it's the caramelising of the proteins in the milk solids that result in the flavour and colour of browned butter. You could however, use vegan butter in place of the amount stated for the frosting and add a flavored extract to mimic the flavour or just substitute your favourite vegan frosting.
Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
- 250 g Butter* or 200g browned butter
- 454 g Icing Sugar**
- 6 tbsps Milk
- 1 tbsp Good vanilla extract
Instructions
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Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook stirring occasionally so the milk solids don't stick to the bottom of the pan
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Cook till caramel in colour and it smells nutty and fragrant.
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Immediately pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and place in the fridge to harden (this can be done at room temperature but it will take longer)
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Monitor the butter you want it to be firm but if you leave it too long it will be rock hard and you'll have to leave it out a few moments before moving on to the next step. It's a bit of a tango but it's worth it.
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Cream the chilled browned butter till light and fluffy then sift in the icing sugar in 3 additions, mixing well after each.
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Add the milk and the vanilla extract mixing well to combine.
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost an 8-inch round with 3 layers. I made a 6-inch cake and opted to frost only the top, I freeze my left over frosting for another use. You could make half the recipe but will still likely have a bit left over if you only frost the top.
*Once browned the butter will reduce to about 200g, if you're substituting vegan butter/margarine, use 200g and not 250g
**I never used to like these types of frosting till I discovered the grittiness you sometimes get is due to cornstarch. I now use an organic brand that uses tapioca starch and the finish is much smoother
