The best carrot cake

Few years ago my mother has cheerfully requested a carrot cake for her birthday. It seemed simple enough and it always helps when it’s narrowed down. Not something abstract and vague like “a cake”, which leaves you wondering exactly what type of a cake would be preferred. Specifying a flavour is tremendously useful when the possibilities are essentially endless. Still, after researching carrot cake recipes for about half an hour, I was not entirely happy with a single one. It seemed the only way out of that dilemma was to make up a recipe of my own. Right now I don’t even recall how many various recipes I had to combine, but it magically worked out. Everyone loved it. Including my brother, who is generally not a fan of carrots, particularly cooked ones.

Until today this is the most requested cake for any celebration. I have baked it so many times that I can now have it ready almost blindly in a couple of hours. At one point, after yet another demand for carrot cake, I got so annoyed that I switched the white flour for whole wheat hoping it would deter people from asking for it again, but nobody even noticed. So if it tastes just as good but happens to be a bit healthier then why not?

Carrot cake ingredients:

Here is a list of what you will need for the cake (for the cream cheese frosting ingredients and directions scroll down). However, for those of us who like pretending to be a magician creating a potion from skillfully summoned vials and pouches, I will be mentioning items and their measurements as we move along.

• 4 eggs
• 1+3/4c raw sugar
• 1c canola oil
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp baking soda
• 2tsp cinnamon
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2tsp salt
• 2c whole wheat flour
• 1+1/2c walnuts
• 4c grated carrots

Directions:

1. If your nuts are roasted then you are winning already and can move forward. If not, you should grab a small frying pan and toast 1+1/2c of walnuts lightly on the stove. Traditionally this should be done in the oven but I find that stove-top is much quicker, though obviously easier to burn so keep a close eye on them. To speed things up, I start the heat on high and wait for the nuts to start crackling lightly, indicating that they have heated through. At which point I turn the heat down to medium low and frequently toss the nuts around the pan to make sure they roast on all sides.
2. While the walnuts are cooling off, coarsely grate the carrots into a bowl. You will need about 3 large carrots to make up 4c of grated ones.
3. At this point I like to fire up the oven and let it warm up to 180C (355F) and have the pans buttered, floured and lined with baking paper. For this cake I used 2 round 18cm (7inch) pans but you can deviate slightly from that size as long as you remember to adjust the baking time.
4. Meanwhile, chop the cooled off walnuts (I grate them with the same attachment I use for the carrots), reserve 1/2c for decoration or filling, add the rest to the carrots and set aside.
5. Place 4 eggs and 1+3/4c of raw sugar (you can substitute with plain white sugar if you want) in a bowl and beat on medium high until pale and foamy.
6. Pour in 1c canola oil and whisk for a few seconds. Add 2tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 2tsp cinnamon, 2tsp vanilla extract and 1/2tsp salt and whisk again. Sprinkle in 2c whole wheat flour (you can substitute for white flour) and quickly whisk until combined.
7. Add the grated carrots and walnuts to the batter and gently stir until combined with a rubber spatula.
8. Divide the batter equally between the pans and bake at 180C (355F) for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Let the cakes rest in their pans for 15 minutes before turning them out onto cooling rack.

Cream cheese frosting ingredients:

While the cakes are cooling, set out the following so it can warm up to room temperature.

• 225g cream cheese
• 50g butter
• 1/4c icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place 225g of cream cheese and 50g of butter into a bowl. Sift in 1/4c of icing sugar (yes, I know, sifting is almost a whole extra step but essential for a smoother result). Add 1tsp vanilla extract.
2. Beat on medium until uniform and creamy. Set side until assembling.

Assembly:

When the cakes are cool enough, level off the domes.

Place one of the cakes onto a serving platter and spread half the cream cheese frosting on top. If you want, you can sprinkle half the remaining chopped walnuts over the frosting. Place the second cake cut side down on top and spread with the remaining frosting. Top with chopped walnuts.

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