Your search is over. My mom’s carrot cake is the only one for me, and maybe for you. But please, when you read this, just do yourself a favour and glaze over the sugar content. Focus on the carrots! The carrots for the love of God! There is some nutrition in this recipe and we should celebrate that. One of the reasons I love this is because it’s simple and doesn’t involve nuts, raisins, or any of that other crap that ruins a perfectly good dessert. Thanks Mom – I’m so glad you hate that stuff as much as me. :)
This is such a delicious cake and goes really well with holiday meals: I make it every Easter, but if your audience wants something other than that disgusting pumpkin pie atrocity at Thanksgiving, why not serve up this instead? The cake itself is delicious…but hang on for the icing. That’s where the real magic happens. An orange-flavoured cream cheese icing. Yes, you can die now.
Claire’s Carrot Cake
4 medium size carrots (make 2 cups grated)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamom
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar (gasp! Ok, get over it already)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (nah – only 1/4 or 1/2 needed. And mix it up with apple sauce if you prefer)
Shred carrots, put aside. Mix flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
In mixer: process sugar & eggs; mix well. Add oil. I then slowly add dry to wet and keep the mixer running and then add the shredded carrots.
Pour the batter into 2 greased & floured round cake pans; or you can use a 10″ bunt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins (might need 55 mins for bunt pan).
Cool well before frosting.
Cream cheese icing
Zest from a navel orange (then cut into very small tiny pieces)
2 packages of cream cheese (total 16 oz). Again, chill out already, this is why it’s so damn good.
6 tbsp butter (about 3/8 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Process cream cheese and orange zest in food processor or mixer; add butter.
Add vanilla and powdered sugar and process until well blended together. Scrape sides of bowl and keep processing to ensure it’s all very well mixed together.
If you decide to bake two round cakes, which is exactly what I do, apply icing to each one and just go for it: use up all the icing so you get a nice thick layer between the cakes. Your guests will appreciate this. Nothing worse than being ripped off and only getting a thin layer of icing between 2 cakes.
This is such an easy icing that you could use for other desserts; lemon zest could be used instead of orange for a lemon cake, or a little more vanilla for a chocolate cake. Simple and delicious; my kinda baking.
Enjoy!
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