Emulsifying the oil into a carrot cake??? Do you do that? Bon Appetit does.

M

marilynfl

Moderator
So I was watching a 5-part video series by the Bon Appetit test kitchen to see if there was anything I didn't already know about basic cakes and icing.

Turns out there was.

Here's what's up: A few months back I totally screwed up my Silver Palate carrot cake which I have been making for...no lie...20 years and have NEVER screwed up. This time it completely collapsed in the middle. At the time I potentially blamed it on my new elevation (moving from 7 feet above sea level to 3,000 feet), or a baking soda eruption or an oil substitution (I had used grape seed and a SunCoco blend rather than basic "vegetable" oil).

Now it turns out I may not have emulsified my oil. To see what I mean, go to the video and start at 14 minutes for the carrot cake. After creaming the eggs and sugar, I was actually surprised when Claire said the next step was "CRUCIAL": she was going to slowly emulsify the oil into the sugar mix.

What? I have been making this cake for TWENTY YEARS and the word emulsify has never once popped into my brain. Could I have been secretly emulsifying without my brain knowing this. Could I be THAT LUCKY?

No. I don't think so. I've only been to two casinos in my life and didn't win any money so I would not categorize myself as lucky.

Also, I don't remember beating my eggs and sugar THAT long...her batter tripled in volume...maybe even quadrupled. That step may also have contributed to my fiasco.

Obviously I've become cocky with the SP recipe steps since I'd make it so many times. I'm pretty sure I just dumped all of the oil into the sugar mixture in one fell swoop, like zucchini bread.

Has anyone ever realized they were emulsifying the oil when they added it to carrot cake??

Also, she added the buttermilk to the carrots, saying it would tenderize them? That's new. I always steam my organic carrots and puree the majority to make cutting the cake easier.

 
I make the Southern Living carrot cake for DGD's birthday and yay day (the day her

adoption was final) every year. I don't think I "emulsify but I do add the oil to the eggs and sugar, mainly 'cause I always add dry ingredients to wet. And in recent years I have even made this without a mixer--just mixing with a wooden spoon.
S0==for whatever that is worth. It's a wonderful cake. My other fave is a hummingbird cake.

 
Yes - using America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated method

I've made a carrot 12x18 sheet cake for many years (with coconut and coconut cream cheese icing). I adapted the original recipe to process oil with sugar and eggs. Also use method when making zucchini bread.

Colleen's Carrot Cake Birthday Bars
1 cup raisins, plumped in hot water
1/2 cup of grated carrots
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
2 1/2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
11/2 cups vegetable oil
12 oz carrot baby food
2 cups coconut (use 1 cup in cake save 1 cup for frosting)
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
Toasted macadamia or walnuts (opt)
1) Preheat oven to 359 degrees.Grease and flour a 12xl8 inch jelly roll pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.
2) ln a food processor, beat sugar and eggs for 20 seconds. Add oil slowly in a stream. Process 20 seconds longer. Scrape into a large bowl.
3) Stir in baby food,1 cup of coconut, raisins, and carrots. Add flour mixture and stir until no streaks appear - do not over mix
4) Spread batter into the pan. Bake for 20-35 minutes. Allow cake to cool before icing.
5) Make cream cheese icing by combining cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Beat in sugar until smooth.
6) Ice cooled cake. Sprinkle with coconut and/or nuts.

I loaned my American Test Kitchen recipe book to Ds but believe this is the original recipe w/method from my book

CARROT CAKE
2 and 1 half cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 and 1 quarter teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1 quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 half teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 eighth teaspoon ground cloves
1 half teaspoon table salt
1 lb carrot, peeled (medium 6 to 7 carrots about 3 cups)
1 and 1 half cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1 half cup light brown sugar, packed (3 1/2 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups safflower oil or 1 1/2 cups canola oil
cream cheese frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened but still cool
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 half teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1 quarter cups confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan (or 2, 9" round cake pans) with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment and spray parchment.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.
3. In food processor fitted with large shredding disk, shred carrots; transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. Wipe out food processor work bowl and fit with metal blade. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil through feed tube in steady stream. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape mixture into medium bowl. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.
4. For the frosting: When cake is cool, process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in clean food processor work-bowl until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.
5. Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, peel off parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve. (Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.).

https://www.food.com/recipe/simple-carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting-cooks-illustrated-487192

 
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