I feel it’s generally not great to make generalizations about people, but sometimes a person’s actions really define them in a way that makes you chuckle and say “You WOULD do that” or “Of COURSE you said that.” A few weeks ago I had a self-reflective moment where I could suddenly see very clearly what kind of person I was. And apparently, I’m the type of person who casually bakes a layer cake on a random Saturday with no particular audience in mind.
Carrots are a solid part of the mid-winter root veggie crew in the grocery store, but for whatever reason carrot cakes really say “springtime!” And so a few weeks ago, I decided to try a promising recipe I’d been hoarding for quite some time. Because while I love carrot cake, I’m also particular about it and I know a lot of other people are too. Any carrot cake I’m going to commit to needs to have raisins, a cream cheese frosting to cake ratio that borders on the ridiculous, and not a diced pineapple in sight.
My mom makes a fantastic carrot cake (though it does lack raisins) – but I have to say, this Bon Appetit recipe created the epitome of carrot cake perfection. It’s incredibly moist, heavily spiced and dotted with plump, rum-soaked raisins and nuts. The cream cheese icing ratio is, shall we say, generous and perfect for rustic, swooping swirls.
Speaking of Bon Appetit – I just cancelled the subscription I’ve had for years. Partly because five magazine subscriptions seems truly excessive, but mostly because it felt like the quality was really deteriorating. I’m a hopelessly devoted fan of Saveur and also really enjoy Food & Wine, but the revamped layout at Bon Appetit felt very comic-y, the stories just haven’t been that engaging and I found I was dog-earing fewer and fewer recipes. But overall, I’m kind of bummed, like I had to give up on an old friend! Anyone in the same boat?
But back on track. Bon Appetit nailed it with this recipe, and as a result I found myself with an entire, delicious layer cake on my hands for a week in April. Then I jaunted off to Ireland and left my poor roommate with the rest of the cake, which she continued to eat while I was gone. My point is, we’ve really taken one for the team here, devouring an entire cake for the sake of this blog. You can make it up to me by giving it a try yourself.
Ingredients
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 pound carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous pinch of kosher salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat two 9"-diameter cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat rounds with nonstick spray. If using raisins and rum, heat together in a small saucepan over low just until warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until liquid is absorbed and raisins are plump, 15–20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Combine carrots and buttermilk in a medium bowl.
- Whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually stream in oil. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with carrot mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Fold in raisins, if using, and walnuts with a rubber spatula. Scrape batter into prepared pans.
- Bake cakes, rotating pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of cakes and invert onto wire rack; remove parchment. Let cool completely.
- Next, make the frosting. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla extract and salt. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in powdered sugar. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Place 1 cake, domed side down, on a platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly over top. Place remaining cake, domed side down, on top. Spread top and sides with 1 1/4 cups frosting and chill 30 minutes to let frosting set. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides, swirling decoratively.
Notes
From Bon Appetit May 2016
May 10, 2017 at 10:24 am
I can’t even imagine a better carrot cake than your mom’s….even w/ raisins!
May 13, 2017 at 3:00 pm
MHL-Carrot Cake wedding cakes will always have a memory of the best carrot cake ever!