CARROT CAKE WITH HONEY YOGHURT ICING
SERVES 8–10

I know that many will be surprised, even sad, that I went with anything other than a cream cheese icing (frosting) for this cake. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the cream cheese–carrot cake combination, but I promise that if you give this a try, you’ll see where I’m coming from. Using Greek-style yoghurt to get the tang that you usually get from cream cheese retains the balance of flavours, but it’s also lighter and creamier, meaning you can have several layers of it in the cake without any risk of it being overpowering. This keeps the cake perfectly moist for days. It’s fragrant, absolutely delicious, and I’m sure you’ll love it!

300 g (10½ oz) soft light brown sugar
215 ml (7½ fl oz) vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
110 g (4 oz) Basic plain flour blend (page 12)
110 g (4 oz) superfine rice flour
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
220 g (8 oz) carrots, coarsely grated (around 3 large carrots)
50 g (1¾ oz) walnuts, chopped

Honeyed walnut topping (optional)

2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon honey
15 g (½ oz) unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt flakes (or ⅛ teaspoon table salt)
60 g (2 oz) walnuts

Icing

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Greek-style yoghurt
250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
160 g (5½ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
70 g (2½ oz) good quality honey (it shouldn’t be runny)
½ teaspoon salt

Notes After straining, the yoghurt should have been drained of excess water and stiffened up a little – it usually loses approximately 40 per cent of its original weight.

The instructions for this recipe are for a round, four-layer version of this cake, but it can also be baked in a deep 22 × 32 cm (8¾ × 12½ in) baking tray to be more of a sheet cake (bake it  for 6–8 minutes less if opting for this version).

A couple of hours before starting on the cake, prepare the Greek-style yoghurt for the icing. Place the yoghurt in some muslin (cheesecloth) or a clean tea (dish) towel, then tie up the ends with an elastic band or some twine and suspend the yoghurt in a bowl. You can do this easily by slipping the handle of a wooden spoon or chopstick through the knot in the cloth and balancing this on the rim of the bowl. Place this in the fridge for 3–4 hours. This removes excess water from the yoghurt so that the icing will be thick and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and grease and line two 20 cm (8 in) round cake tins with baking paper.

To make the cake batter, use an electric hand mixer to beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Beat for 2–3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.

In a separate bowl, sift together the remaining dry ingredients, then add this to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots and walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the cake tins and smooth it out with a spatula.

Bake the cakes for 38–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out with only moist crumbs attached. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the honeyed walnut topping, if using. Line a baking tray or large plate with baking paper. Stir the sugar, honey, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium–low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then allow the mixture to simmer for 3–4 minutes until it turns a rich, caramel colour. Remove it from the heat, then add the walnuts and stir to combine, making sure all the nuts are nicely coated in the honey–caramel mixture. Pour the honeyed walnuts onto the tray and spread them out into a single layer. Set aside to cool completely, then roughly chop the nuts to your preferred size.

To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until it is fluffy and has doubled in volume. Beat in the honey and salt until well combined, then beat in the strained yoghurt until just combined.

To assemble the cake, use a cake leveller or a long serrated knife to cut each cake in half horizontally to create four even layers. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate and add about a quarter of the icing, using a spatula to smooth it out to an even layer. Continue building the cake by adding cake layers and icing, finishing with a layer of icing on top of the cake. If using, sprinkle the chopped honeyed walnuts in a circle on top of the cake. It’s ready to serve!

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.

This is an edited extract from Gluten-Free Bakes by Melanie Persson, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores from 29 September 2026. Photography by Ola O. Smit.