carrot cake

This is my first experiment into American cake territory! This carrot cake was quite easy to make: I got the recipe from William Sonoma (a good source for fool proof recipes), twisted it a little bit (less sugar , less cinnamon and less fat than the original - I also replaced the orange zest with a little orange juice), and voilà! The cake was perfectly moist and the icing had that nice tanginess brought by the cream cheese. 

Mind you, this recipe is for 10-12 people. Needless to say that we had it for dessert one night, and then for many breakfasts that followed! So just make it when you have friends around...

Carrot Cake



Carrot Cake (Serves 10-12)
2 cups (8 oz./250 g.) cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
4 large carrots, peeled and grated

Carrot Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a cake pan of your choice (I used a round one).

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, oil and orange juice until thoroughly combined. Stir in the carrots. Incorporate this mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until a sharp knife blade inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely.

Using an icing spatula, frost the cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting and serve.

Carrot Cake

Cream Cheese Frosting
125g cream cheese, at cool room temperature
50g unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
a few drops pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue to mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away, or, if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate the frosting until it is spreadable, 10-15 minutes.

Carrot Cake