Afternoon Tea Cakes with Chef Shane Smith | Carrot & Cardamom Cake | Lemon & Lavender Drizzle Cakes

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: ricotta

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess.

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: cake flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey provides natural sweetness.

walnuts

🥗Healthier: pecans

💰Cheaper: sunflower seeds

Pecans offer similar flavor with a different texture.

Grate the carrots using the large side of the grater to keep them chunky.

Add chopped walnuts to the bowl with the grated carrots.

Add caster sugar and ground almonds to the bowl; ground almonds replace the flour.

Add a pinch of ground cardamom to the mixture.

Crack in 3 eggs directly into the bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of corn flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder to the mixture.

Mix all ingredients together until it forms a lovely batter.

Pour the batter into a lined baking tin.

Preheat the oven to 165°C (329°F) and bake for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the cream cheese buttercream by mixing icing sugar and room temperature unsalted butter until soft and fluffy.

Add a dash of vanilla to the butter mixture.

Once the butter mixture is fluffy, add in the full fat cream cheese and mix until just combined, avoiding over-mixing.

Let the cake cool in the tin for 20-25 minutes after baking.

Cut the cooled cake into small bite-sized portions, cleaning the knife between cuts for clean slices.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle with the cream cheese frosting.

Decorate the cake with the cream cheese frosting, using the piping bag to create a design.

Garnish the cake with chopped pistachios and calendula flowers, ensuring the flowers are edible.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens