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Carrot Cake
A two-layered carrot cake lightly frosted with cream cheese frosting and decorated with candied carrot spirals.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cake Layers
  • 240 g flour 2 cups
  • 2 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 200 g white sugar 1 cup
  • 125 g chopped walnuts 1 cup
  • 300 g vegetable or canola oil 1 ¼ cups
  • 4 eggs
  • 80 g raisins ½ cup
  • 360 g of grated carrots about 3 cups or 6 carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 100 g cream cheese room temperature (4 oz)
  • 1/2 stick butter room temperature (50g or 2 oz)
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 115 g powdered sugar about 1 cup
Carrot Decorations
  • 1 carrot
  • 100 g white sugar ½ cup
  • 6 Tb water
Recipe
Cake Layers
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two 9 inch cake pans (or one 9x13 cake pan) by buttering and flouring them.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, sugar, and walnuts) together in a bowl.
  3. In a stand mixer, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, and raisins. Mix on medium speed until combined.
  4. Add the grated carrots and mix until even.
  5. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
  6. Pour into the cake pans and bake for 35-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 20 minutes. Remove the cake from pans and cool on rack to room temperature.
Carrot Decorations
  1. While the cake layers are baking, peel a carrot into long thin strips.
  2. Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
  3. Add the carrot strips to the sugar water and simmer for 15 seconds.
  4. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. While the cake layers are baking and cooling, thoroughly beat together the cream cheese and butter.
  2. Add in the vanilla and beat to combine.
  3. Slowly add the powdered sugar a bit at a time until it is at your desired sweetness.
Assembling the Cake
  1. Select the cake layer with a better dome and set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut the dome off of the other layer by carefully slicing across the top. Enjoy a pre-cake snack by just eating that cake dome right now.
  2. Place the dome-less cake layer on your cake plate or whatever serving vessel you’re using.
  3. Using a rigid spatula or knife, place approximately half of the frosting on the first layer and spread evenly
  4. Carefully slide the domed cake layer on top of the cake and spread with the remaining frosting over the dome.
  5. Remove some of the carrot strips from the sugar water and blot dry with a paper towel.
  6. Spin the strips into coils of carrot by holding one end of the strip against the end of a chopstick, small dowel, or handle of a utensil, then slowly winding the strip around itself. Position the utensil over the cake where you want the spiral to be, then gently slide the carrot off and onto the frosting. Repeat for as many carrot strips as you have or want.
  7. Whew! You’re finally done! Enjoy!