Today is my husband's birthday.
I love birthdays. (and, of course, I love my husband)
I also really love cake. And am defiant that nuts, fruits and vegetables have no place in a dessert. Carrot cake, which he requested, contains all of those things. But, alas, I can't resist Peter's food requests. So, I took it as a challenge to create a carrot cake that even I could love.
Carrot Cake:
This is a hybrid recipe, created from inspiration gleaned from the following posts:
- The Baking Pan: http://thebakingpan.com/recipes/cakes/pumpkin-carrot-cake/#.UsK_Hrko7IU
- Life is Great: http://pickyin.blogspot.com/2011/08/carrot-cake-with-maple-cream-cheese.html
Semi-step-by-step photos/instructions are offered here. But, scroll down for the full recipe.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees- Lightly grease 2 nine inch cake pans (or, desired pan sizes...I chose 6 inch rounds) and line with parchment paper.
- Prep your raisins by giving them a rough chop. You can omit this step if you like salads in your cake. I have chosen to chop things very small since I'd like them to disappear into the batter.
- Prep your carrots and ginger by grating them with a fine grater or zester. This takes a bit of time, so put on some good music and don't cave into the temptation to use a larger grater....the fine grate makes all the difference in this cake. 
- Add the almond extract and eggs, beat on high for an additional 5 minutes, until the batter turns a soft caramel color.
- Slowly add the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and mix until well combined.
- Divide your batter evenly among your cake pans. Note: I used 2 six-inch round pans for a smaller cake and then baked the remaining batter in 6 jam jars. The jam jars cook beautifully, creating transportable cupcakes. Just let them cool, fill to the top with frosting and cover with a lid! These are a perfect car-trip snack.- Place in your preheated oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean.
Voila!
Carrot Cake Recipe and Method:
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 3/4 cup canned pineapple chunks
- 2 cups finely grated carrots (from about 7 large carrots)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped
Frosting:
- 1 8-ounce container of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup pure Vermont Maple Syrup, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 cup milk or cream
- Pinch of sea salt
Method:
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly grease 2 nine inch cake pans (or, desired pan sizes...I chose 6 inch rounds) and line with parchment paper.
- Prep your carrots and ginger by grating them with a fine grater or zester. This takes a bit of time, so put on some good music and don't cave into the temptation to use a larger grater....the fine grate makes all the difference in this cake.
- By this time, your oven should be pre-heated. Sprinkle your almond slivers onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until a very light golden brown.
- In an electric mixer, combine the oil and sugars, beat for 2 minutes on high.
- Add the almond extract and eggs, beat on high for an additional 5 minutes, until the batter turns a soft caramel color.
- Slowly add the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and mix until well combined.
- Add the carrots, ginger, pumpkin, almonds and raisins. Mix lightly until just combined.
- Divide your batter evenly among your cake pans. Note: I used 2 six-inch round pans for a smaller cake and then baked the remaining batter in 6 jam jars. The jam jars cook beautifully, creating transportable cupcakes. Just let them cool, fill to the top with frosting and cover with a lid! These are a perfect car-trip snack.
- Place in your preheated oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean.
- Invert the pans onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
- Whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- Add the almond extract and pinch of sea salt.
- Slowly add the remaining ingredients, alternating in small increments between the powdered sugar and milk. Continue alternating until you have reached the desired consistency for your frosting.
Décor:
I'm really excited about the little cake toppers I made. You'll note that I ripped this décor idea directly from the blog noted above. I couldn't resist....I saw those striking caramel toppers and knew I had to learn how to do it. It was pretty easy...just time consuming.
Caramel Decoration Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- pinch of sea salt
- Hazelnuts (or other nut for dipping)
I used this tutorial: http://bravetart.com/recipes/DecorativeCaramel. It was really helpful. Read through the entire thing before giving it a go. I removed the pan from the heat as soon as it was the exact amber color I was looking for. But, I didn't account for the fact that the pan would still be hot and continue to cook the caramel, so my decorations are burnt caramel (definitely not delicious). That being said, I LOVE the color. I just couldn't use the leftover caramel for anything. The tips on clean-up were greatly appreciated because - whoa - this can get messy!
Once cooled, I sprinkled a little green-tinted sugar on the base of the design-outline, added crushed pistachios and topped with the decorative caramel hazelnuts! Easy!
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