Carrot Cake

Let's get the ingredients out, shall we?

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I put less because my husband hates cinnamon)
• 2 1/2 cups (340 grams) of grated carrots
• 1 cup (100 grams) chopped walnuts ( mortar and pestle will do the trick)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup of canola / safflower / vegetable / corn oil
  Optional 1 can of crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups of sifted confectioners (icing / powdered) sugar
• 7 tablespoons of salted butter (I like salted butter it balances the sweetness)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 340 grams softened cream cheese (1 1/2 portion of the locally available cream cheese)
• Optional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts for the topping

Preparation

Let's start with the carrot cake first:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Place the walnuts in a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes.

Spring form pan is perfect for this but I don't have one. Prepare 2 round baking pans 9 inches diameter x 2 inches deep. Butter or spray the pan and for extra protection- (oops that sounded like a deodorant commercial) I line it with parchment paper.

Peel the carrots and grate them. To achieve 340 grams I ended up using 2 large carrots.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together : flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Set it aside.

It's now time to take out your electric stand mixer. I don't have one so an electric hand mixer would do. Elbow and arm power is also possible but the electric mixer would make mixing the cream cheese frosting a tad easier.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs for 1 minute until it becomes frothy. Then on high speed, add sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 4 minutes until the consistency becomes thicker.

Set the mixer on low speed and while it's spinning, slowly add the oil steadily to the mixture.

I was supposed to use pineapple but changed my mind at the last minute. Bye bye crushed pineapple.

Add the flour to the batter and beat until it's thoroughly mixed. Carrots joins the batter shortly and the chopped walnuts use the spatula to fold.

Oh, don't forget to set aside some roasted chopped walnuts for the topping.

Divide the batter evenly into 2 portions and pour them into your baking pans.

Don't worry if they don't fill up the pan, they're going to rise! (Evil laugh mwahahaha)

Bake them in the oven for around 25 to 30 minutes. Use a toothpick test to check when it's ready. If nothing sticks then it's ready.

While baking, let's move on to the cream cheese frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting

With your electric stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until it's smooth and slowly add the confectioner sugar and vanilla extract. You will notice that the more sugar you add, the consistency thins more. Once it is fluffy, add the lemon juice slowly. Make sure the cream cheese is soft. Mix the cream cheese in and blend well with the mixer. Once you're happy with the frosting's consistency, let's work on the cake.

Remove the baking pans from the oven and allow them to cool down. When it's safe to handle, use a flat tray to cover the top of the pan and flip it over. The parchment lining should be on the top. Slowly peel it off. Repeat the same step with the other round pan.

Place one cake on a your cake board. I don't have one so I just used a baking sheet. Spread the cream cheese frosting on it. Be generous, there should be a lot.

Pile the other cake on top like a sandwich. Use the remaining cream cheese frosting for the top layer. I used to leave the sides empty and allow the frosting to drip naturally on the sides to create some drama but I had a lot of frosting so I won't let that go to waste.

Slather and top it with the chopped walnuts. Being in the Philippines, it's hot. The frosting melts quickly with our weather so I pop it in the fridge to cool down before I continue spreading the frosting evenly.

Better to prepare it the day before. Keep it refrigerated overnight and serve it the next day. Here's the refrigerated version the next day. Enjoy!

This was a nicer picture of a carrot cake that I have made previously.

Bon appétit!