This Surprise inside Carrot Loaf Cake is the ultimate Easter cake with a hidden bunny in each slice! So adorable and delicious, you and your family will love it! Incredible moist Carrot Pound Cake packed with spices and walnut and covered with an ultra-creamy, light cream cheese frosting is a recipe you have to make for Easter!
Ingredients for the bunny insert
⅓ cup Unsalted butter at room temperature
⅔ cup Powdered sugar
1 Egg at room temperature
½ cup All purpose flour
2 tablespoons Almond flour
Orange zest (optional)
Ingredients for the Carrot loaf cake
½ cup Vegetable oil
¼ cup Granulated sugar
¼ cup Brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 cup All purpose flour
¼ cup Walnut flour
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons spices eg. cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
1 cup Carrot - freshly grated
Orange zest (optional)
Ingredients for the Cream cheese frosting
⅔ cup Cream cheese ex. Philadelphia full fat
¼ cup Mascarpone full fat
⅕ cup Powdered sugar
Love cream cheese desserts? Why not check out our best cream cheese dessert recipes?
Bake the bunny insert first
For more step-by-step process photos check the original Surprise Inside Carrot Loaf Cake recipe.
- Pre-heat the oven to 356°F.
- Whip together room temperature butter and powdered sugar until pale then mix in the eggs, then fold in almond flour and orange zest.
- Line approx. 10x6inches baking tray with parchment paper and bake the sheet cake for 10-15 min or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, using a bunny shape cookie cutter, cut bunny shapes out of the sponge. Note: The cookie cutter should be the same height or lower than the height of your loaf tin
- Arrange the bunny shapes tightly after each other. Wrap them together in foil and freeze them while assembling the carrot cake. Note: The length of the bunny pattern should be 1 inch shorter than the length of your loaf tin.
Expert tip: It is crucial to freeze the bunnies together neat and tight in order to achieve the perfect cut on your loaf cake.
Then assemble
For more step-by-step process photos check the original Surprise Inside Carrot Loaf Cake recipe.
- Whip together sugar and egg until pale, then mix in oil
- Sift in dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, walnut flour, salt, and spices, and fold the mixture together with a Rubber spatula
- Fold in grated carrot
- Move carrot cake batter into a piping bag
- Grease a loaf tin (4x8 inches)
- Pipe a thin layer of carrot cake batter on the bottom of the loaf tin then remove the bunny shape pattern from the freezer
- Place the bunny shape pattern in the middle of the loaf tin, and gently press it into the cake batter making sure that the bunnies stand straight. Pipe the carrot cake batter around the bunny pattern. Make sure that the level of the batter is the same on all 4 sides of the pattern.
- Bake the cake at 347F for 45 min minutes or until a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Take the loaf tin out of the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
Expert tip: It is crucial to place the frozen bunny insert in neat and tight. Make sure that the bunnies stand straight, not leaning onto one side or the other in order to achieve the perfect cut on your loaf cake.
Make the cream cheese frosting
Make the cream cheese frosting by whipping cream cheese, mascarpone, and powdered sugar together until creamy and fluffy. Avoid over-beating as it can get runny if over-whipped.
For more information check the original cream cheese frosting recipe
Finally, pipe the decoration on top
Move frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle tip. Pipe one "row " at once then grab a teaspoon and gently press the teaspoon on the piping pattern creating the effect you see in the picture. Pipe another row of frosting and repeat the process with the teaspoon. Continue until you got to the end of the loaf then gently hint with walnut.
Expert tips
Do not overwork the cake batter, after the wet ingredients are whipped up, switch to a rubber spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
Use parchment paper in your Loaf tin or grease it throughout so the cake can easily be removed after baking.
Always pre-heat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
The surprise inside bunny will look as neat as you assemble it before baking. Make sure you freeze the bunny log first and work very neatly while piping the carrot cake batter around it. The bunny log should not lean on any side of the loaf tin in order for baking even.
For more expert tips visit the original Surprise Inside Carrot Loaf Cake recipe at Spatula Desserts.
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This recipe was originally published as Surprise Inside Carrot Loaf Cake at Spatula Desserts.
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