Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting



I have one memory of carrot cake in my early childhood. It’s the night before my 5th birthday and, dreaming of chocolate, frosted roses, and creamy fruit-filled centers, I open the fridge and find a Costco sheet cake with tacky frosted carrots. In that moment, my dreams are shattered.

Fifteen years later, I’m suddenly captivated by the idea of carrot cake. A homemade, delicious cake without tacky frosted carrots. I plan to make it and spend four days writhing in carrot cake anticipation.

It’s worth it. Oh is it worth it. Biting into it last night, I shed a tear for all the years of my life that have been spent shunning the glory of carrot cake.

It is deceptively simple to make a great carrot cake. Yesterday morning I rounded up the two amateur photographers in my apartment and demanded their services in return for cake, so most of these pictures are courtesy of them.



In fact, the only hard part of making carrot cake (besides waiting to eat it), is dealing with the carrots themselves. This recipes takes about six good-sized carrots, peeled and grated.



Only give this job to someone you trust not to grate their fingers. Seems straightforward enough but I have plenty of friends who aren’t qualified for this dangerous job. Well, only one really. *cough*Czech Biscuit*cough*



If you can get someone to help you pour, it’s always nice.



No trouble finding someone to help with this problem.



When it comes out, it should look golden and delicious like this. Inhale. (Wait until they’re out of the oven to do this, by the way. Trust me.)



*NOMNOMNOM* Devour. Rest. Repeat.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups unbleached flour
6 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 1/3 cups white sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar (any shade works)
3 large eggs
½ cup plain yogurt
½ vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine grated carrots, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine sugars, eggs, yogurt, and oil. Add this to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Divide between two GREASED 9-inch round cake pans. (Flour spray or unflavored PAM works great for this. I prefer this to the traditional butter/flouring method.) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese (low-fat works fine, doesn’t harm the flavor)
4 tbsps softened unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl on a medium speed setting until just blended. Add the powdered sugar in three batches and continue to blend until smooth.

Let frosting sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.

Note: Let the cake cool completely before frosting! Otherwise your delicious frosting will melt everywhere.