Spiced Carrot and Pear Cake Trifle

This Easter, indulge in a show-stopping dessert with our Spiced Carrot and Pear Cake Trifle. Layers of moist, warmly spiced carrot and pear cake are paired with a silky cream cheese frosting. Each spoonful offers a delightful contrast between the cake and the creamy frosting, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom to make your taste buds sing. Finished off with fresh pears and a dusting of cinnamon, this trifle is a wonderful addition to your Easter celebrations.

How long will it take?

1 hour

What’s the serving size?

Serves 6

What do I need?

2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
4 large pears, divided
1 ½ cups grated carrot
½ cup walnuts, chopped

For the Frosting

450 g cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to serve

How do I make it?

Preheat oven to 160C.
Grease and line 2 x 20-centimetre cake tins.
Whisk flour, caster sugar, brown sugar, bicarb, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add oil, eggs, milk and vanilla extract and mix into dry ingredients until just combined. Set aside.
Peel pears. Add 2 pears to a food processor and puree. Cut remaining 2 pears into a large dice. Add all the puree and ½ cup of diced pear to the cake batter, along with grated carrot, and walnuts and fold through.
Divide cake batter between cake tins and bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
To serve, cut cake into bite-sized pieces and add some to serving glasses. Top with some of the frosting mixture, then add another layer of cake and another layer of frosting.
Arrange reserved chopped pears on top of the trifle and dust with cinnamon, then serve.

TOP TIPS – You can make one large trifle or divide the cake and frosting between several smaller glasses as we have to create individual servings.