Recipe: Christmas carrot cake with gingerbread houses

Christmas means cake!

This year we are putting a Dutch classic on the table for Christmas - but with a contemporary twist. This carrot cake isn't only delicious, it's a picture to look at. Decorate the home-baked cake with your little ones at home and you get both an activity and a dessert in one. 

Recept: wortelnotentaart voor kerst Mooiwatbloemendoen.nl
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you will need

For 8-10 portions

Carrot cake:

  • 240g wheat flour
  • 10g baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 eggs
  • 225g fine caster sugar
  • 240ml sunflower oil
  • 450g grated carrots
  • 75g sultanas
  • 75g cranberries
  • 4 tsp rose water
  • 100g pistachios, toasted
  • 80g grated coconut

    Gingerbread houses:
     
  • 120g soft butter
  • 120g light brown caster sugar
  • 120g flower honey
  • 3 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1.5 tsp cardamom powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white
  • 300g flour
  • 200g icing sugar

    Additional supplies:
     
  • 250g cream cheese + extra for serving
  • Cake tin
  • Mixer
  • Piping bag
  • Butter for greasing
  • Edible flowers* for garnish

how to make it

Preparation time: 1 hour
Oven time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Waiting time: 2 hours

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Grease the cake tin generously with butter. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer for 3-4 minutes and slowly pour in the oil, while mixing. Fold the oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the grated carrot, sultanas, cranberries, rose water, pistachios and coconut flakes. Fold in the batter until all ingredients are well mixed.
  2. Fill the turban tin with the cake batter and bake the cake in the oven for about 1 hour. Use a wooden skewer to check whether the cake is done. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and carefully tip it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely for at least 2 hours.
  3. For the gingerbread, put the butter, caster sugar, honey, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a bowl and mix together. Mix in the egg and finally add the flour. Mix into a cohesive dough, wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  4. Knead the dough briefly and then roll it out on a floured worktop to a thickness of about 4 millimetres. Cut our gingerbreads houses from the dough and carefully move them to the baking tray. The dough that remains can be rolled out again. Bake the biscuits for 12-14 minutes and let them cool down completely.
  5. For the icing, mix the egg white with the icing sugar and put it in a piping bag. Decorate the houses with the icing. Stir the remaining icing into the cream cheese.
  6. Stick the gingerbread houses to the cake with a lick of the cream cheese mixture. Dust the cake with extra icing sugar, decorate with edible flowers* and serve with the remaining cream cheese.

ENJOY A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS

Check out our DIY floral centrepiece, this floral water glass with a floating candle and a miniature wreath for your champagne coupe. Can't get enough of the most wonderful time of the year? Neither can we! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more Christmas inspiration.

*Never just sink your teeth into any flower or plant, only use edible flowers from specialised suppliers that have been grown for consumption. 

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