Ultimate Carrot Cake
"This is from Carole Bloom’s book, The Essential Baker."
- Ready In:
- 1hr 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 24
- Serves:
-
12-14
ingredients
- 1 lb carrot, grated
- 4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
- 1 1⁄4 cups canola oil
- 2⁄3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large orange, zest of, finely grated
- 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1⁄4 cups walnuts or 1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
- 1 cup raisins or 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
-
FROSTING
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 1⁄2 cups confectioners' sugar
directions
- Prepare muffin tins with papers (about 48 regular cupcakes) or two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inch sides) with parchment and oil.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coarsely grate the carrots in a food processor using the grater attachment.
- Chop them into finer pieces with the medal blade attachment in the food processor, if you want the texture of the cake a little bit finer.
- Mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
- Add the finely chopped carrots, walnuts (or coconut), and raisins (or dried cherries).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans or scoop into cupcake papers (fill 3/4 full).
- Bake cupcakes for about 18-25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
- Bake 9-inch cakes for about 35-40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
- Cool in pan(s) on wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
- Make frosting by combining all frosting ingredients and beating well, until fluffy.
- NOTE: If you like lots of frosting, double this recipe, but you'll have some left over, even if you are generous with it while frosting the cake. But it's delicious on EVERYTHING!
- To assemble the cake, remove from pan(s) and peel off the parchment paper from the bottom, place on cardboard rounds.
- With a thin serrated knife slice off the very top of the cake layer, using a sawing motion, to level the tops, if desired.
- Cut the cake layers into 2 equal layers. Slide the layers onto a cardboard round or any other flat surface.
- Using an offset spatula spread about 1½ cups of the frosting evenly over the surface of the first layer.
- Top with the next layer and repeat for the rest of the layers.
- Place about 2 cups of the icing on the top of the cake and spread evenly.
- Spread the icing onto the sides of the cake.
- Using the spatula, create swirls in the frosting on the cake. This cream cheese frosting is very soft so you won’t want to try for anything too exacting.
- Press additional shredded coconut onto the sides of this cake, as a garnish, if desired.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Lise in Indiana
Otterbein, IN
<p>I've been a farm wife for more than 30 years, driving tractors and semi-trucks, and raising corn, soybeans, beef cows, and 4 daughters. We are going against big farm trends and diversifying (rather than specializing), adding laying hens, honey bees and milk goats to our farm. I have too many interests, but especially love artistic pursuits, such as pottery, painting, music, gardening,and creative cooking.</p>
