Carrot cake!

Today I made the Carrot cake that Amanda from Slow Like Honey (love her blog!) chose for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie, and today is my mother's birthday! So I am considering this her birthday cake. The best part is...she will be here in two days to visit. Sorry I had to cut a slice of it for pictures, mom...but the rest is yours. Happy Birthday, I love you so much and can't wait to see you!

So...the cake! Nice recipe, I liked it a lot. I loved the lemon juice in the cream cheese frosting. I have never done that before, but I really liked the way it tempered the richness of the cream cheese and butter. The only issue I had with the recipe was one I encounter all too often: the frosting recipe doesn't make enough to properly frost a layer cake, with ample filling and a crumb coat. I often end up making two or three times the recipe...this time was no exception. I am curious...did any of you have the same problem?

I followed directions almost exactly. The only substitution I made was currants instead of raisins or cranberries. I did sprinkle dessicated coconut in between the layers. I can't wait to see all of your cakes...Tuesdays with Dorie is so much fun!

Edit: When I go back and look at the recipe, I realize the sides weren't even intended to be frosted, so the amount of frosting in the recipe is probably just perfect. Sorry Dorie!
Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). 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 stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This 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 even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Comments

[Sarah]

Gorgeous cake! I wish I could decorate cakes like that...I am sure your mom will love it. Great job!

[mari]

Rebekka, your cake looks divine!!! Just love the use of fresh flowers as decoration, what kind are they?

[Caitlin]

Wow - that looks beautiful! I didn't have a problem with the amount of frosting, but I didn't make a layer cake. Since you can never have too much frosting though, I tend to err on the side of excessive :)

[Marie]

Rebekka, your carrot cake is breathtakingly beautiful!! Well done!

[Carrie]

Beautiful cake! Your mom is so lucky to have such a talented daughter... Happy Birthday to her!
I also found that there was a bit of a "frosting shortage" in the recipe, so I just neglected to frost the sides. I was worried it would look naked, but it doesn't! :)

[Mary Ann]

It looks so delicious and beautiful! I love how you iced the cake. I didn't attempt to frost the sides, but there definitely wouldn't have been enough to go around!

[Elizabeth Mackey]

Your killing me here!! In a good way I might add. I love going on your blog to see all these beautiful creations your are making for the challenge. Carrot cake it one of my favorites next to the ultimate moist chocolate cake. I bet your husband is having fun eating all these goodies :) I recently visited a friend that made carrot cake from her mothers recipe,and I do believe it was one of the best I'd ever eaten! Very moist and wonderful flavor combinations. I think the secret in that one is the crushed pineapple. When she said this , I kind of went ??? Then I tasted it, yummy. I'm a very picky cake eater so it has to be excellent before I will give it a try.
Keep up the fun.

[Rebecca]

Oh, lovely! Carrot cake only gets better with time, so it should be perfect when your mom gets into town.

[CJ]

Rebekka! Oh my word, that cake is too gorgeous.

[Bumblebutton]

Wow--What a lovely cake. Certainly worthy of a mother. Hope you are proud. I'm sure your mom will understand that the cake had to suffer a little for your art!

[Jayne]

So, so pretty! And I agree with you about the frosting - there was definitely not enough to do a really good job of it.

[Anne]

That looks absolutely perfect, I love the decorations! Great job!

[LyB]

My first thoughts when I saw that first photo: "Oh, WOW, that is beautiful!" Really, it's gorgeous, and I know it was delicious! :)

[fanny]

Oh Rebekka, this looks totally lovely. And happy birthday to your mum; tell her I said she's lucky to have such a wonderful daughter xxxxx

[Megan]

Wow. That's all I can say. I feel very inadequate looking at your decorating skills.

[Dizzee Cake]

So simple and elegant- just gorgeous!! Great work =)

[Di]

Your cake is beautiful. I love the flowers. I, too, had to make extra frosting to have enough to frost the sides.

[kim]

what a beautiful cake! the flowers are a nice touch :) i definitely should have made more frosting too, but ran out of time and cream cheese ;)

[Dianne]

Your cake is gorgeous!

[Landa]

Beautiful cake.

[Lori]

Looks gorgeous! LIke a wedding cake.

I agree with you about the frosting for cakes in general. I only frosted the middles of my cake and it was a perfect amount but it did not lap over the sides liek the picture though. Maybe it was a photo thing for the book. Frost half the cake and have the frosting oozing out.

[mary]

I wouldn't have accepted anything less from you this week bekks.....your cake is stunning. Looking at your cake makes me miss you....glad we'll get to reunite in a couple of weeks!

[mary]

I wouldn't have accepted anything less from you this week bekks.....your cake is stunning. Looking at your cake makes me miss you....glad we'll get to reunite in a couple of weeks!

[Annemarie]

Your cake looks lovely! Your mom is one lucky b-day girl!!

[CB]

Absolutely beautiful cake! I know your mom will love it! Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought