National Carrot Cake Day

Carrot cakes is one of those desserts that people either love it or hate it. Hubby is one of those people who thinks he loves carrot cake, but is always disappointed when he orders a slice in a restaurant. Why is that? Can all these restaurants be making it wrong?

Most of the time when you get a carrot cake from a restaurant or bakery, it’s a very traditional cake – complete with plenty of raisins, sometimes a little coconut, and mile-high Cream Cheese Frosting. These are all the things Hubby does not like, which explains his disappointment should he order a slice while dining out. These days, he doesn’t even bother to order the carrot cake for dessert. Even if they leave out the raisins and coconut, it’s a safe bet the frosting will be cream cheese.

Do you have one of those very picky eaters in your house? You know, the one how says “I love everything about it except everything that makes it what it is.” Personally, I love a good carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I love a good cake with any kind of frosting. Heck, if the cake is moist and flavorful, I could skip the frosting all together. But then again, let’s not get too carried away. Buttercream frosting is good on just about anything. Kiddo likes to eat the frosting spread on Vanilla Wafer Cookies or Graham Cracker Cookies. Those are all delicious subjects for another day.

Walnut Carrot Cake with Whipped Buttercream Frosting
The Cake 
1 cup Canola oil; more for the pans
2 cups (9 oz.) Flour; more for the pans
2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1-3/4 teaspoons Baking Soda
3/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
3/4 teaspoon Salt
4 large Eggs
2-1/2 cups lightly packed, finely grated Carrots
2 cups packed Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil and flour the sides of two 9×2-inch round cake pans, tapping out any excess flour. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment. Set the pans aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil, eggs, carrots, brown sugar, walnuts, raisins (if using), and vanilla on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just blended, about 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Place cake pans in the heated oven and bake until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pans to loosen the cakes, invert them onto the rack, remove the pans, and carefully peel away the parchment.

Set the cakes aside to cool completely before frosting.

The Frosting
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
1/2 cup Solid Vegetable Shortening
4 tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
1 tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
4 tablespoons Heavy Cream (more if needed)

Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer.  Cream together the softened butter and vegetable shortening.  Beat for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color.  Add corn syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Beat until smooth.

Add the sifted powdered sugar alternately with the heavy cream. After all of the powdered sugar has been added, adjust the mixer speed to medium-high and whip for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assemble the Cake
Carefully set one cake upside down on a large, flat serving plate. Using a metal spatula, evenly spread about 1-1/2 cups of the frosting over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining cake layer, upside down. Spread a thin layer (about 1/3 cup) of frosting over the entire cake to seal in any crumbs and fill in any gaps between layers. Refrigerate until the frosting is cold and firm, about 20 minutes. Spread the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. The cake is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen