It’s time for another recipe! First, the recipe. Then, me blathering onward about my occasionally questionable culinary capabilities and the memories this particular feast holds for me.
- The Ingredients
- The Cake:
- 3 cups finely shredded carrots
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed pecans
- 1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in liquor until rehydrated
- The Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Don’t be afraid to add your own touches!
- The Cake:
- The Way of Preparing the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C/Gas mark 4
- Prep three 9 inch round pans with spray, flour, and parchment paper. Alternatively, line and spray a large muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the carrots, raisins, applesauce, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, nuts, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
- Divide among the three pans evenly, or fill your cupcake molds with an ice cream scoop.
- Bake for about thirty minutes, rotating the pans every ten minutes or so until a toothpick comes out from the center clean. The cake should pull away from the walls of the round pan a bit. This is normal.
- While the cakes are still warm, run a knife around the outside of the pans and tip the cakes out carefully. Flip them back, right side up, and let them cool.
- Once completely cool, stack and frost!
- The Way of Preparing the Frosting:
- Cream together the sugar, butter, and cream cheese until completely mixed. Scrape down the bowl repeatedly so everything is well combined.
- Mix on high until light and fluffy, about six minutes.
- Add in the vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least half an hour, covered tightly, until stiff before using.
- This can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or frozen for six months.
- Notes
- How to make better:
- Add two to three tablespoons of hot cocoa mix to the batter
- I know it sounds weird but glaze the layers before you frost them with simple syrup, chocolate syrup, or melted apricot jam.
- Almond extract instead of vanilla in the frosting.
- Garnish or add in crushed pecans for a little extra crunch.
- Soak the raisins in amaretto before adding to the cake.
- How to make better:
Memories
This recipe look a little familiar? Yup, it’s a very similar base cake to my Colored Velvet Cake recipe. I find that traditional carrot cakes are too dense and I like the light, fluffy texture that the chemical reactions of this cake brings to the dessert table!
This is one that I don’t make all that often, but carrots around Easter, much like eggs, seems to be an accidental tradition.
Happy baking!