My Ideal Carrot Cake

My Ideal Carrot Cake

This makes a 9 inch two layer cake

I started with a recipe from Fine Cooking Issue 97, Abigail Johnson Dodge's "Classic Carrot Layer Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting".  I first made it exactly as written, then tweaked it to my taste.  For this version I've omitted the raisins, increased the walnuts and spices, and switched from ground to fresh ginger to give it a little more punch.  I also reduced the proportion of frosting.


For the cake:
1 cup oil
9 oz. (2 c.) all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
3/4 tsp. table salt
4 large eggs
8 3/4 oz. (2 1/2 c.) finely grated carrots
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
9 oz. salted butter, softened
12  oz.  (3 c.) powdered sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla extract

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350.  Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch round pans with parchment, then spray with baking spray.  Wrap the pans in damp cake pan insulating strips, or in folded damp towels pinned around the sides (not the top or bottom).  This helps the cakes bake even and flat.  Also make sure your oven racks are level.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.  In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the oil, eggs, carrots, brown sugar, walnuts, ginger 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 evenly in the prepared pans. 

Bake  until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28-30 minutes (5-10 minutes longer if using the insulating strips or towels).

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 aside to cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with the mixer on medium speed until very smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on medium high until blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Cover and set aside at room temperature until the layers are completely cool. 

To Assemble:
Carefully set one cake upside down on a large serving plate.  Using a metal spatula, evenly spread about 1 cup 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 crumb coat is cold and firm, about 20 minutes.  Spread the entire cake with the remaining frosting.    Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.  Best served slightly chilled or room temperature.  You can also freeze the entire frosted cake.  Garnish with chopped walnuts.