Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Today was a gorgeous day in Portland, and as I traipsed around the city in my sunglasses and t-shirt, I thought I should make something yummy to celebrate the good weather. I’ve been wanting to try out Alton Brown’s carrot cake for a while, and I’m glad I did today because it was incredible! As far as baked goods go, Alton Brown can do no wrong, and this cake is surprisingly simple to make.
Ingredients & Method (adapted from Alton Brown)
- 2 1/2 c flour
- 6 medium-sized carrots
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 c sugar
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 6 oz. yogurt
- 6 oz. vegetable oil (I subbed, as usual, applesauce to make the cake a bit lighter)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9x3 circular pan with butter, then dump a teeny amount of flour in and kind of tap it around until the pan has a light layer to prevent sticking. Put parchment paper over the pan and set aside.
Shred the carrots; I used a peeler and listened to MGMT which provided an excellent metronome for my peeling rhythm. This isn’t in Brown’s recipe, but I definitely recommend getting some music to peel to. In a food processor, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until they’re well blended. Pour the mixture over the shredded carrots and toss until the carrots are well coated.
In a deep mixing bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt on a medium speed until well blended. Add the oil (or applesauce) while mixing. Don’t be afraid of the consistency - it looks really soupy, but Alton Brown knows what he’s doing, okay?
Combine the two mixtures and pour them into your pan. Stick it in the oven and bake at 45 minutes at 350°, then drop the temperature to 325° and cook for another 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then pop out and leave it on the rack until fully cool or until your boyfriend starts saying “caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake” “caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake” under his breath.
The recipe for the frosting is really easy, and I totally forgot to take photos of it, mostly because I was trying my hardest not to just eat the frosting with a spoon.
Mix an 8 oz container of cream cheese with 2 tbs of softened, unsalted butter and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Add 2 c powdered sugar in increments of 1/2 c, mixing well after each addition. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes before using.
This cake is so good and really moist, and I have a feeling it won’t last long in the house.
(meg)
