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Mary Berry Carrot Cake Tray Bake Recipe

Mary Berry Carrot Cake Tray Bake Recipe

Mary Berry's carrot cake tray bake is moist, warmly spiced, and topped with a generous cream cheese frosting — the most practical celebration bake.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 20 Squares
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 365
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Carrot Sponge:
  • 300 ml sunflower oil
  • 4 large eggs beaten
  • 300 g soft light brown sugar
  • 300 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 300 g carrots peeled and coarsely grated
  • 100 g walnuts roughly chopped (optional)
  • Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
  • Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 300 g full-fat cream cheese room temperature
  • 150 g unsalted butter softened
  • 400 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of ½ unwaxed orange optional
  • Decoration:
  • Walnut halves
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Orange zest

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 33x23cm traybake tin.
  2. Whisk oil, eggs, and brown sugar together 2 minutes. Sift in flour, baking powder, and spices — fold gently. Add carrots, walnuts, and orange zest — fold through.
  3. Pour into tin. Spread evenly. Bake 30–35 minutes until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in tin — at least 1 hour.
  4. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar in 2 batches. Add vanilla and orange zest. Beat 2 minutes — do not overbeat.
  5. Lift sponge from tin. Spread frosting generously over the surface. Place walnut halves in a grid. Dust with cinnamon and scatter orange zest.
  6. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Cut into 20–24 squares. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Use sunflower oil not butter — oil keeps the sponge moist for days.
Coarsely grate the carrots — fine grating dissolves the texture.
Cool completely before frosting — at least 1 hour.
Do not overbeat the cream cheese frosting — it becomes runny.
Refrigerate 30 minutes before cutting for neat squares.
Place walnut halves in a grid — one per portion shows exactly where to cut.
Stores in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted squares for up to 3 months.
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