Carin Aboutcha Carrot Cake Recipes

RON'S CARROT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, attach a parchment circle to the bottom of each pan, grease and flour again.
• Mix well the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cayenne in a bowl. Toss in the walnuts and raisins to coat.
• Using a stand mixer, whisk the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the carrots and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute on low speed to incorporate.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. They will be about two-thirds full.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pans onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before applying the frosting.
• To frost the cake, take the cooled cakes and carefully slice each one horizontally with a serrated knife to create 4 layers of cake. Place a small dollop of the Ron's White Chocolate Buttercream in the center of the serving platter; this will help affix your cake to the platter. Then, put the first layer of cake on the platter. Apply a generous amount of buttercream to the top center of the cake. Using a flat spatula, spread the buttercream, starting at the center and moving outward to the sides of the cake. It's important to use enough buttercream and to let the spatula only touch the top of it, so you don't pick up any crumbs from the cake.
• Next, fit the second layer on top and repeat. Then, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to harden the fillings/buttercream.
• Repeat with the third layer and refrigerate for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
• Lastly, add the fourth layer and apply buttercream until evenly distributed on both the top and sides of the cake.
• This makes a very tall cake. To serve, cut into strips the length of the cake and 2 inches wide and 1-inch thick rectangular cake slices.
• Place the sugar and egg whites in large metal mixer bowl set over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
• Continue beating on low speed until cool, about 15 more minutes.
• Beat in small pieces of the cool but soft butter on low speed. The mixture may curdle before coming together. Gradually beat in the melted and cooled white chocolate.
• Re-beat occasionally while frosting the cake to maintain a smooth texture.

CARIN' ABOUTCHA CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt, soda and cinnamon.
• Add sugar, oil and eggs.
• Mix well.
• Add carrots, drained pineapple and nuts.
• Grease and flour a 9X13 pan and pour cake mix inches.
• Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.
• Frosting:.
• Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla.
• Add powdered sugar.
• If too thick, add milk to spreading consistency.

GIGI'S CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.
• For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.
• When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.

CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.
• Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.
• Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, beat the sugar and oil together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. If you are working in a mixer, reduce the speed to low, if you're working by hand switch to a large rubber spatula, and gently stir in the flour mixture - mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. Just as gently, stir in the chunky ingredients.
• Divide the batter among the baking pans and slide the pans into the oven. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cakes are properly baked when a knife inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean; the cakes will just start to come away from the edges. Transfer the pans to cooling racks, cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature. (At this point, the cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; thaw before frosting.)
• For the frosting: Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
• If you'd like to have coconut in the filling, scoop out about 1/2 of the frosting and stir the coconut into this portion.
• To frost the cake, place one layer of the cake, right-side up, on a cardboard round or a cake plate. If you've added coconut to the frosting, use half of coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer. Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake top-side down. Frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting. Top with the last layer, right-side up and use the plain frosting to cover the top - and the sides, if you want - of the cake. Finish the top layer with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle on these ingredients now, while the frosting is soft. Slide the cake into the refrigerator for 15 minutes, just to set the frosting.
• Serving: The cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper, overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and, while it's good plain, it's better with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or even some lemon curd with a little whipped cream folded in.
• Storing: Covered the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen, uncovered, and then, when it is firmed, wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months; defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight.

SISTER BETH'S CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Whisk vegetable oil, white sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
• Stir oil mixture into flour mixture until a well-mixed batter forms.
• Fold carrots, pineapple, coconut, and walnuts into batter; pour into prepared baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour; cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter, and a dash vanilla extract together in a bowl until well blended; spread over cooled cake.

CANADA'S BEST CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• Grease and flour 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.
• In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. Spread in prepared pan.
• Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or ovenwrap with heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.).
• Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of cake. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to I day.).
• Tips: Set timer for 5 minutes less than the time specified in recipe, check cake then for the following signs. If the cake is not done, return it to the oven to finish baking.
• When is the cake done:.
• A fully baked cake will spring back when touched in the center. The cake also draws away from the side of the pan, and a cake tester (a toothpick of skewer works well) inserted in the center comes out clean. Also trust your sense of smell: the fresh aroma of butter and sugar wafting out of the oven can be the signal to check the cake.
• When cakes emerge from the oven, their structure is set, but the set is still fragile. Let cakes stand in pans on rack for time specified in each recipe, usually 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake, then place rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

CARROT CAKE WITH CHAI-FLAVORED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Whisk brown sugar, oil, applesauce, and white sugar together in a separate bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Switch to a large rubber spatula and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, gently stirring until incorporated and batter is smooth. Stir in carrots and raisins. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes. If you find that a cake layer is stuck to the bottom of the pan, leave the cake pan upside down and allow gravity to do its thing.
• While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer browned butter to a bowl. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until desired taste and consistency.
• Frost cooled cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans.