Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is my absolute favorite type of cake. Its a close race but the carrot takes the cake. A spiced cake filled with baked carrots and roasted walnuts? Yes, please!

This recipe was our first to try as a gluten-free option but this can be made with pretty straight-forward pantry ingredients. The only thing you may not have on hand is walnuts but those are simple to find.

The recipe is originally from BA’s Best. I did reduce the amount of powdered sugar in the icing. Now it’s healthy. Right? Right? Come onnnnnn…..

Full Measure Cheesecake

Credits: Bon Appetit

Total Time: 2 Hours
Servings: Approx 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

Cake

• 2½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour

  • Substitue 1:1 for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• ¾ cup vegetable oil

• 1½ teaspoons (5g) kosher salt

• 1 cup (210g) granulated sugar

• ¾ cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar

• 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 pound (450g) carrots

• 1 cup (110g) chopped walnuts

• 2 teaspoons (8ml) vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons (5g) ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons (4g) ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon (.5g) freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon (3g) baking soda

Icing

• 12 ounces (340g) cream cheese, room temperature

• 1½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon (4ml) vanilla extract

• Generous pinch of kosher salt

• 2 cups (200g) powdered sugar

Equipment Needed:

• Stand Mixer

• Box Grater

• (2) 9” Round Cake Pans

Method

Cake Batter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)

2. Roughly chop walnuts and place on a parchment lines baking sheet

3. Bake for 8-10 min

4. Peel carrots and grate with a box grater

5. Add the carrots to a bowl with buttermilk, stir to combine

6. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger to a bowl and whisk to combine

7. In the bowl of a stand mixer add eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar

8. Whisk on high for 4 minutes, or until fluffy and light in color

9. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil

10. Add the dry mix and carrots in alternating batches, ⅓ of the dry then ½ of the carrots, mix slowly until fully incorporated, repeat until everything is added

11. Fold in the roasted walnuts by hand with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula

Baking The Cake

1. Grease two 9” circular cake pans with non stick spray

2. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper

3. Grease parchment

4. Pour ½ of the batter into each pan

5. Bake in the 350°F (180°C) preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out of the center clean

6. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes

7. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove each cake, remove parchment

8. Cool on a rack until completely cooled

Making the Frosting

1. Add butter, cream cheese and frosting to the bowl of a stand mixer

2. Mix with the paddle attachment on high for 1 minute

3. Add salt and about ½ of the sugar, mix slowly to combine

4. Add last ½ of the sugar and mix to combine

5. Raise the speed to medium high and whip for 2 minutes

Assembling the Cake

1. Place the first cake round on a platter, flat side (bottom) facing up

2. Spread about ¾ cup of the frosting over the center and out to the edges

3. Place the other cake flat side (bottom) facing up

4. Cover top and sides with a thin layer of icing, about 1¼ cup

5. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set icing

6. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate to your liking

7. Optionally, add some thinly sliced carrots to the top to garnish