Celebration Cake
A festive layered cake perfect for birthdays, topped with caramelised nuts.
Prep
0
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- grated carrot
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- flour
- nuts
- oil
- icing sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- cinnamon
📦Other(5)
- bicarb
- eggs
- pumpkin purée
- sugars
- sultanas
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
- 2
Sift the flour, sugars, bicarb, and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- 3
In a smaller bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, milk, ginger, and vanilla.
- 4
Add the oil mixture, orange zest, grated carrot, and pumpkin purée to the dry ingredients, then stir until almost combined.
- 5
Add the chopped nuts and sultanas, then stir into the batter until just combined.
- 6
Divide the batter evenly among the tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are cracked and springy to the touch.
- 7
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- 8
For the caramelised nuts, heat the nuts in a dry frying pan until golden, then tip onto the prepared baking sheet to cool.
- 9
For the frosting, beat together the ingredients, adding enough icing sugar to make a thick, smooth mix.
- 10
To assemble, put one cake on a cake stand and spread with a thin layer of frosting. Top with another cake and frosting, then repeat until all 4 cakes are stacked up.
- 11
Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting, then decorate with caramelised nuts.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Grate carrots on the medium holes of a box grater to achieve 2-3mm pieces that release optimal moisture while maintaining texture - fine grating creates mush, coarse pieces won't break down properly during the 20-25 minute bake time.technique2-3mm pieces
- ✓Mix wet and dry ingredients until just 80% combined before adding nuts and sultanas, as overmixing develops gluten strands that create a dense, tough crumb structure instead of the tender cake texture needed for celebration cakes.technique80% combined
- ✓Toss nuts and sultanas in 1 tablespoon of the measured flour before folding into batter - this coating prevents them from sinking during baking by increasing surface friction and reducing density differential.ingredient1 tablespoon flour coating
- ✓Test doneness by pressing the center - properly baked cake springs back within 2-3 seconds because proteins have coagulated at 160-165°F internal temperature, while underbaked cake leaves an indentation.timing2-3 seconds springback
- ✓Cool cakes in tins for exactly 10 minutes - less time causes structural collapse from steam, more than 15 minutes creates condensation that makes bottoms soggy and difficult to remove cleanly.timing10 minutes maximum
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Celebration Cake
A festive layered cake perfect for birthdays, topped with caramelised nuts.
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- grated carrot
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- flour
- nuts
- oil
- icing sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- cinnamon
📦Other(5)
- bicarb
- eggs
- pumpkin purée
- sugars
- sultanas
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
- 2
Sift the flour, sugars, bicarb, and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- 3
In a smaller bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, milk, ginger, and vanilla.
- 4
Add the oil mixture, orange zest, grated carrot, and pumpkin purée to the dry ingredients, then stir until almost combined.
- 5
Add the chopped nuts and sultanas, then stir into the batter until just combined.
- 6
Divide the batter evenly among the tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are cracked and springy to the touch.
- 7
Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- 8
For the caramelised nuts, heat the nuts in a dry frying pan until golden, then tip onto the prepared baking sheet to cool.
- 9
For the frosting, beat together the ingredients, adding enough icing sugar to make a thick, smooth mix.
- 10
To assemble, put one cake on a cake stand and spread with a thin layer of frosting. Top with another cake and frosting, then repeat until all 4 cakes are stacked up.
- 11
Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting, then decorate with caramelised nuts.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Grate carrots on the medium holes of a box grater to achieve 2-3mm pieces that release optimal moisture while maintaining texture - fine grating creates mush, coarse pieces won't break down properly during the 20-25 minute bake time.technique2-3mm pieces
- ✓Mix wet and dry ingredients until just 80% combined before adding nuts and sultanas, as overmixing develops gluten strands that create a dense, tough crumb structure instead of the tender cake texture needed for celebration cakes.technique80% combined
- ✓Toss nuts and sultanas in 1 tablespoon of the measured flour before folding into batter - this coating prevents them from sinking during baking by increasing surface friction and reducing density differential.ingredient1 tablespoon flour coating
- ✓Test doneness by pressing the center - properly baked cake springs back within 2-3 seconds because proteins have coagulated at 160-165°F internal temperature, while underbaked cake leaves an indentation.timing2-3 seconds springback
- ✓Cool cakes in tins for exactly 10 minutes - less time causes structural collapse from steam, more than 15 minutes creates condensation that makes bottoms soggy and difficult to remove cleanly.timing10 minutes maximum