Quarantine Cooking Carrot Cake
(My husband, John, made this for my birthday and it was unbelievably delish!)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 ¼ cups all purpose-flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg (plus a pinch)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound of grated carrots (okay to add a few more if you like)
Optional: 1 cup nuts or ½ cup raisins. I say yes to the nuts and lose the raisins.
Cream Cheese icing ingredients
3 - 8 ounce packs of cream cheese at room temp
2 sticks salted butter at room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups 10X powdered sugar
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grate the carrots, or use the cuisinart (not too fine).
Pam up 2- 8 inch round baking pans.
In electric mixing bowl, blend together the oil, eggs, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg & cloves until combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, on slow speed.
Using spatula, fold in the carrots and if using, the nuts and raisins.
Blend until the carrots are well integrated throughout and the batter is smooth.
Pour half the batter in one pan- the other half in the second pan, trying to keep them evenly divided.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks.
Cream Cheese icing instructions:
Combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in electric mixing bowl. Beat until fairly smooth.
Slowly stir in powdered sugar.
Blend until nice and creamy.
When the cakes have cooled, remove from the pans ( I flip them over onto another cooling rack, and then right side up)
Once the cakes reach room temp (about two hours), slice off the rounded top of one cake with a long, sharp knife, to make it flat. This will be your base cake. (feel free to indulge yourself and devour!).
Place the base cake on a cake dish. Add a light layer of icing. Place the second cake on top, and ice all around.
Cut off a nice large piece and enjoy!
Note: You can slice into individual pieces and freeze, if you have any left over. I usually wrap each piece in wax paper, and then a food storage container.
Please support @godslovenyc, a NYC nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals to individuals living with serious illness. To donate go toglwd.org/whoareyoucookingfor. Show what you are making at#WhoAreYouCookingFor!