Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

By Andrea Chesman
Published on December 10, 2010
article image
Photo Courtesy Storey Publishing
"Recipes from the Root Cellar" features more than 250 designed for winter vegetables, from soups and salads to main dishes and desserts.

The following is an excerpt from Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables by Andrea Chesman (Storey, 2010). The excerpt is from Chapter 10: Baked Goods and Desserts.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Serves 12-16

Carrot cakes are often heavy and overspiced, but not this one. The texture is light and the flavor is full but not overpoweringly spicy. It is also very quickly made in a food processor. In fact, this is a very fine cake — my favorite carrot cake ever.

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 large carrots, peeled
1 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. Shred the carrots in a food processor. Remove and measure 3 cups lightly packed shredded carrots. (If you have more, set aside for a salad. If you have just less than 3 cups, don’t worry about it.)

4. Combine the oil and sugar in the food processor (don’t bother washing it first) and process until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla, and process until well combined and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and pulse until the batter is smooth and blended. Add the carrots and pulse until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

6. To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well blended. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

7. Frost the cake in the pan when it is completely cooled.

Read the original article, “Recipes for Winter Vegetables: 3 Recipes from the Root Cellar.”

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