I love carrot cake. Besides my mom’s famous chocolate chip bundt cake, her other most requested cake was carrot cake. It was chock full of walnuts and raisins and it was thankfully without pineapple. I love pineapple but it’s my strong opinion that it doesn’t belong in carrot cake. Unfortunately, my mom also didn’t believe in frosting. Her carrot cake was baked in a bundt pan (of course!) and served up plain. It was delicious, but I’m almost ashamed to admit that I was 30 before I had my first taste of carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. And it is a perfect pairing, obviously.
So when I went to make my birthday cake last month, I had a huge hankering for carrot cake. Unfortunately, I don’t have my mom’s original recipe, so I used one from the Miette Bakery cookbook
The cake itself got rave reviews. The crumb was moist and tender with a nice outer crust. I added cloves, nutmeg and cardamom to the original recipe for a cake that had just the right amount of spice. It’s also full of goodness from the grated carrots to the toasted walnuts, currants and coconut. You could almost think of this as a healthy dessert. Well, almost.
It made the perfect birthday cake even though I did have a few lumps while baking. Though you can’t tell from the photos, my cake fell in the middle and I’m not sure why. No matter, that is what frosting is for – it covers a multitude of sins! My frosting was a little lumpy because I didn’t sift. Don’t be like me. Just sift! Another issue was that the frosting was a little runny. I frosted it at room temperature when it should have been chilled down for a bit in the fridge. No matter, because it looked gorgeous with its painterly drips. A happy birthday cake indeed!
carrot cake
(recipe adapted from the Miette Bakery cookbook
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground cardamom
1/2 t kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 c sugar
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 c peeled & grated carrots
1/2 c currants
1/2 c toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 c shredded or flaked unsweetened coconutButter and flour a 7″ round cake tin, tapping out any excess flour. Preheat oven to 350F.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.
In your stand mixer with the whisk attachment on (or use a hand mixer), combine the eggs and sugar until well combined and lightened in colour, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly drizzle in the oil until well combined and then whisk on high to emulsify. Switch to the paddle attachment and add in the dry ingredients in three additions, beating on medium until smooth. Add in the carrots, currants, walnuts and coconut and stir to combine. Pour batter into your prepared cake tin, scraping out the bowl with a spatula.
Bake until the top of the cake is a golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack to let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run an offset spatula (or a butter knife) along the edges and then invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.
cream cheese frosting
If there is one thing I hate, besides pineapples in carrot cake, it’s sifting. But you just got to do it because no amount of whisking will remove all the powdered sugar lumps. Sifting, just do it.1 c cream cheese (low fat is fine), room temperature
1/4 c + 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c sifted powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
pinch of kosher saltIn a large bowl, mix together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add in the cream cheese along with the vanilla and the pinch of salt and mix throughly until fluffy. Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to firm up the frosting. Frost cake once cake is completely cool.
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I absolutely love carrot cake. It’s one of those cakes I rarely make, probably because I’m too lazy to frost it! You’ve inspired me to put the effort in. Your version sounds lovely and spicy and that frosting looks gorgeous. Happy belated birthday. 🙂
Carrot cake is almost always my birthday cake of choice! This version sounds simply delicious.
I also LOVE carrot cake! Happy Birthday!
Gorgeous cake and Happy Birthday! I second your dislike of pineapple in carrot cake (and on pizza for that matter).
Carrot cake is one of my favorites, but I’ve never tried it with currants and now I’m wondering why I’ve always made it with raisins!?!! I don’t mind it with pineapple, but prefer zucchini.. or extra carrots 😉
Happy birthday, lady!!!!!
I definitely approve of the small cake! We can barely get through a loaf cake at our house, so something smaller is an excellent plan. Cream cheese frosting is my favorite, and this one sounds amazing!
YUM! One of my favourites! I’ll be sure to attempt this one 🙂
ps: And happy birthday!!
Where can one get the cook book with the recipe in ?
Looks so tasty and I’m always on the lookout for a carrot cake recipe. Always thought pineapple was a must but I’ll try thus one. I hate sifting too….just too lazy!
I love how dark this carrot cake is–you know they way it’s supposed to be.
Beautiful! I love the drips and what a pretty cookbook! I had no idea about the scalloped pages, eek!
Thanks Caz, I know the feeling! I always think grating the carrots can be so tedious, but it really wasn’t that bad – there’s not a million carrots involved 🙂 Enjoy, it’s a great version!
Thanks Joanne, glad to hear that someone else finds it a great birthday cake.
Thanks Christina!
Ha, that’s where we differ, Caterina – I LOVE pineapple on pizza. But somehow in carrot cake, I hate the texture and the flavour too. weird!!
Ashlae, oooh, adding in zucchini would be great for those extra heavy garden days in August when I’m swimming in the stuff! Will have to remember that 🙂
Eileen, the small cake is where it’s at! We still got 8 slices out of it and we gave half to our friends to enjoy too! Sharing is best!
Aw thanks Luc 🙂
Fran, you can get the cookbook at most bookstores I would imagine – or follow the link to Amazon. Thanks!
Irene, enjoy this one sans pineapple – trust me, it’s great 🙂
Thanks vanilla sugar 🙂
I love the drips too, Nicole. Thanks!
I made this cake and my family absolutely loved it. I put in raisins and pecans because we had them in the house. I love your recipes!
Grace, so glad to hear that you all loved the cake! Thanks so much for you kind words 🙂
This cake looks so awesome! Carrot cake is one of my faves but it must have the frosting on it. I think it’s the only time I’m willing to eat cream cheese.
Pineapple in carrot cake? For reals? Meh.
What an adorable book…love the scalloped edging.
I’m no expert but there are several possible reasons for your cake falling in the centre.
1) Oven wasn’t pre-heated when you popped in the cake.
2)Cake was removed from oven before it was fully baked.
3)Eggs were too cold. I just heard of this one from the pastry chef I work with, which is why we keep all the eggs out of the fridge during the day prior to using them.
Ahhh, maybe it was the eggs being too cold. I usually do leave out my eggs before baking, but I’m not sure if I did for this recipe. The cake was baked so I’m sure that wasn’t it. And yes, that book is sooo adorable, I’m glad I finally made something from it 🙂
This is – hands down – THEE most delicious carrot cake I have EVER tried. I have added this to my recipe book and shall be making it MANY times!! <3