Ingredients For the Cake:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ cup spelt flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¾ cup Kerrygold

Salted Butter

softened to room temperature

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 medium eggs (or two large eggs)

¼ cup buttermilk or sour cream

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ cups freshly shredded carrots

½ cup raw whole pecans, toasted and finely chopped (optional)

½ cup turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)

For the Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (sift after measuring)

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon Kerrygold

Salted Butter

melted

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

NOTE: First decide if you’re going to double this recipe and make a large cake like the one pictured, or a smaller cake. Don’t worry, you’ll use the same size baking pan for both options, the only difference is the height of the cake, the bake time and doubling your ingredients.

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F / 180C and butter + flour a 9” springform pan (23 x 8cm) and line the bottom with parchment. Make sure you butter the whole pan, place the parchment on the bottom, butter that, and then flour the whole pan. 
  2. In a large bowl, sift together all of your dry ingredients: flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and set aside. 
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the Kerrygold Salted butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. 
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg entirely into the butter mixture before adding the next egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. 
  5. In about 3 alternating parts add the flour mixture, buttermilk + lemon (just add the lemon juice to the buttermilk) and shredded carrots. To do this, add a little of the flour mixture, mix, add a little buttermilk mixture, mix and shredded carrots, mix. Repeat this process 3 times until it’s all mixed together. Take care not to overmix. 
  6. Gently fold in the chopped nuts with a spatula. 
  7. Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. If baking a single recipe, bake for 40-50 minutes at 350F / 180C or until the cake is golden brown on top and slightly cracked. If doubling the recipe, bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is cracked slightly and golden brown on top. If you test the cake with a toothpick it should come out clean. 
  8. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to get out of the pan. Let the cake cool about 20 minutes more before drizzling the glaze OR you can serve warm with freshly whipped sweetened cream and skip the glaze. You can easily bake this cake the day before serving and let it cool entirely in the tin. 
  9. This cake keeps for up to 3 days at room temperature tightly covered or refrigerated for up to a week. 

To Make the Glaze:

  1. Sift your powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl  to get rid of any lumps.
  2. Add Kerrygold Salted butter, lemon juice and pinch of salt. Whisk together until smooth. Mixture should be smooth, thick and barely pourable. Add more lemon juice and mix until you reach the desired consistency. 

Recipe by sweetish.co