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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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READ REVIEWS ()

1 hr 10 mins total
20 mins prep

Recipe Filed Under
Baking, Dessert, Cake, Father's Day, Housewarming, Church Supper, Entertaining, Potluck

Provided By: Jean Anderson

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Chock full of grated carrots and toasted pecans, this cake delivers more than "empty calories." Better yet, children love it.

Note: To toast pecans, spread on a large baking sheet, slide onto middle rack of a 350°F. oven, and leave for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool nuts before using.

Tip: Grate the carrots yourself instead of settling for the pre-shredded many supermarkets now sell. They are too coarse, too dry, and sadly, often flavorless. To save time, I cut carrots into 1-inch chunks and grate by food processor.

Ingredients

Serves:

For cake:

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and finely grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable or corn oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

finely grated zest of 1 large orange

5 large eggs

3 cups coarsely grated peeled carrots (about 6 medium-large; see note)

1 1/2 cups lightly toasted coarsely chopped pecas (see note)

For Frosting:

1 box (1 pound) unsifted confectioners' (10X) sugar

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature (no substitute)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (no substitute)

2 teaspoons each vanilla and orange extract

2 - 4 tablespoons milk (as needed for spreading consistency)

Directions

For Cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 13- by 9- by 3-inch baking pan with nonstick oil-and-flour baking spray and set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together and set aside.

Beat granulated and brown sugars, oil, butter, and orange zest in large electric mixer bowl and beat at moderately high speed 2 minutes until well blended and smooth. Beat eggs in one at a time, then continue beating 1 to 2 minutes more at moderate speed until smooth.

Add sifted dry ingredients and beat at lowest mixer speed -- but only enough to combine. By hand, fold in carrots and pecans.

Scoop batter into prepared pan, spreading to corners and smoothing top. Rap pan several times on counter to expel large air bubbles, then bake on middle oven rack about 50 minutes until cake begins to pull from sides of pan and a cake tester, inserted in center, comes out clean.

Transfer cake to a wire rack and cool in upright pan to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare Frosting: Beat confectioners sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla and orange extracts, and 2 tablespoons milk in small electric mixer bowl, first at low speed, then at high, until smooth and fluffy. If frosting seems too stiff to spread, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk.

Swirl frosting over top of cake, give it an hour or so to firm up, then cut into squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftover cake.