Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake
I love making this carrot cake for people’s birthdays. Generally I find most people like carrot cake and this one is always a crowd pleaser. It’s so moist and flavourful, and with walnuts (optional) it has a bit of a crunch. Plus cream cheese icing is always so sweet and yummy.
This cake is big! Which makes it great for decorating. I did a “naked” cake look this time, but have also iced the whole thing before. Decorate it however you like! I recommend sprinkling chopped walnuts on top. As you can see above, I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday.
INGREDIENTS
Cake
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot (about 6 medium/large carrots)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 packages (250 g/8 oz.) of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
YIELD
1 large cake
TIME
Prep - 30 minutes
Bake - 30 - 45 minutes
Icing - 10 minutes
Decorate - 20+ minutes
TOOLS
1 large bowl
Peeler or food processor for prepping the carrots
8 -inch pan or 9 -inch circle pans
Wire cooling rack
Stand or hand mixer
Icing spatulas
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 330 degrees F. Butter and flour 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch circle pans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir in oil. Add in eggs one at a time. Add in grated carrots and stir until well blended. Mix in nuts.
Divide batter between 3 8-inch or 2 9-inch prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes for 8-inch pans and 35-45 minutes for 9-inch pans. Check if cakes are done by inserting a toothpick in the centre of a pan and it comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove cakes from pan to allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
As the cake cools, make the frosting. In the bowl of your hand or stand mixer, mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in icing sugar and vanilla. Add in more icing sugar or add milk 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve desired consistency.
Frosting tips:
Cut the rounded tops off the cakes to ensure they are completely flat before stacking.
Put a spot of icing on your cake plate before the bottom layer to prevent the cake from moving.
Do a first layer of icing and then chill before adding a second smooth layer. This is called a crumb coat because crumbs often get stuck in the icing and prevent a first layer from being smooth and pretty.
Recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt.
