Carrot Cake Recipe II

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Carrot cake has never gone out of style. Take a bite and you'll find the answer why. Carrot cake is rich, moist spice cake filled with grated carrots and roasted walnuts or almonds. It is loved by its tangy and sweet flavored cream cheese icing. What truly interests me about carrot cake is despite its orange color and the presence of carrots which provide the texture and color along with its moisture and sweetness, its flavor is almost indistinguishable. The addition of pineapple or applesause somehow offset the strong taste of carrots.

Carrot Trivia

During the Middle Ages when sweeteners were difficult to find, carrots were used as substitute in most European sweet cakes. Carrots along with beets, contain more sugar than most other root crops.

Carrots are originally purple grown in Afghanistan since the 7th century AD. As carrots became popular moved towards the West, the orange variety came about and was then introduced to America. Carrot comes from the Greek word "karoton".



Carrot Cake Ingredients

  • 100 grams walnuts
  • 300 grams raw carrots (about 2 1/2 cups finely grated)
  • 250 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 280 grams refined sugar
  • 220 ml vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

for Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 60 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 225 grams cream cheese, room temperature
  • 200 grams confectioners
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin)

for Garnishing
  • 100 grams toasted and finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Procedure
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.
  2. Line 2 9-inch round pan with parchment paper
  3. Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
  4. Finely grate the carrots. Set aside.
  5. In a clean bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
  6. In separate bowl ( bowl of KitchenAide), beat the eggs at high speed for about a minute or until frothy.
  7. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored. Continue beating for a couple of minutes.
  8. Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract.
  9. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
  10. Add the grated carrots and chopped nuts.
  11. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  12. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
  1. In bowl of electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with no lumps.
  2. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth.
  3. Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest.

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