Carrot Cake
Every Spring, I pull this recipe out for our Easter family gathering, and I’m reminded how good this recipe is and wonder why I don’t make it more. This cake is full of all kinds of goodies that make it so sweet and moist. This recipe is unique as it calls for less flour than you would expect and a lot of fruit, nuts, and carrots. This cake is always just as delish as I remember!
Carrot Cake
Makes three 9inch cakes
2 cups Vegetable Oil
2 cups Buttermilk
4 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
7 Eggs
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Baking Soda
2 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Salt
2 cup Crushed Pineapple with juice
5 1/2 cups Shredded Carrots
2 cups chopped Walnuts
2 cups shredded sweetened Coconut
Pre heat the oven to 350
I like to call this a dump cake. There is no particular order to add things. I use my largest mixing bowl and add all my wet ingredients (carrots, pineapple, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla) and sugar. Mix well until incorporated.
Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Now mix!
Lastly, fold in the walnuts and coconut.
Grease three 9inch cake pans and line with parchment. I love these pre-cut cake pan liners; they are a huge time saver. Once my pans are prepped, I equally split the batter between the three pans and place them in the oven.
Bake the cakes for 40-50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool before removing them from the pan. Run an off-set spatula around the edge of the pan to release the cake. I like to place my cake on a cardboard round to assemble it. I will place my cake upside down on the round, so the parchment circle is on the top of the cake. I do this to help the cake from drying out while I frost it. As I add the layers I'm frosting, I will one-by-one remove the parchment paper.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz Cream Cheese softened
1 cup Butter softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4-5 cups Powder sugar (Start with 4 cups and build up to 5 if you need to.)
In a standing mixer, beat cream cheese on high for 3-5 minutes until it's smooth and creamy. Adding the butter and vanilla, continue to mix on medium speed until combined, another 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the powder sugar a little at a time until it's all incorporated.
I use a cake wheel to help me assemble and frost my cake. I will place my first layer on the cardboard round on the cake and turn the wheel to frost it. Remove the parchment circle from your first layer. I like to fill a piping bag fitted with a plastic coupler with a large scoop of frosting and line the edges of the cake to create an even layer to fill in the rest of the surface with frosting. Add about 3/4 cup of frosting to the first layer in the middle of the circle. Spread the frosting out evenly to the edges of the cake and repeat on the next layer.
Top the cake with the third layer. I use the piping bag to fill in between each layer, starting at the bottom where the cake sits on the cardboard and then each layer above that. Take the off-set spatula and a large scoop of frosting and spread it evenly around the outside and top of the cake to coat it completely. This first layer of frosting is called the crumb coat. The goal is to make a level surface and trap the crumbs in the frosting. Then take the cake and place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Freezing the cake will give you a smooth surface to add the next layer of frosting and trap the crumbs so they will not show through the final layer. Once the cake is cold, pull it out of the freezer and add the second layer of frosting to the cake.
Cut a small piece of fondant and add a small drop of food coloring. A little food coloring goes a long way; gel food coloring is more concentrated, so start with a little and bump it up from there.
Once I have archived the color I want, I will roll the fondant out like a snake to get it to the size of carrot I want. I will cut the roll into equal pieces and roll the tips to shape into carrots. Use a knife to make small cuts into the carrots to give them a little definition and make them look a little more like carrots.
Use a knife to make a small hole in the top of the carrot and add a sprig of parsley to complete the carrot.
Place the carrots on the top of the cake. It's now ready to serve and will sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Cheers Babes
XOXO
