ISO: ISO the perfect carrot cake recipe

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joe

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I've promised a carrot cake for a party coming up in April and I've never made one before. Any T&T recipes? I have 3 months to experiment.

Alton Brown showed one last night on Food TV that looked good but contained gobs of oil. Would it be possible to substitute butter, or is oil necessary?

I want to make it as a layer cake rather than a sheet cake, since I'm also serving bechamel lasagna and I don't want anyone to confuse the two, lol.

Any ideas or tips would be helpful. Thanks!

 
I make 2, both a great......REC...

The short version is admittedly the one I make mostly but the other is quite yummy.

Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
2tsp baking powder
1 1/2tsp bicarb
3tsp mixed spice
1tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups oil
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed tinned pineapple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup smooth apricot jam

Sift dry ingredients
Beat sugar oil and eggs together until very well blended (about 3 mins )
Add carrots and pineapple, nuts and jam and mix well
Sift in the dry ingresients, folding with a spatula
Grease a 28cm springform pan(tube or angel food pan)and sprinkle with dry breadcrumbs
Bake 350 -375*F for 45mins
Cool 10 mins at least before turning out
Ice with Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake (short version
Cream 1 1/3 cup castor sugar
1 cup oil
Add 3 eggs one at a time
1 tsp vanilla ess.
Sieve in 3tsp cinnamon, pinch salt, 1tsp bicarb, 2 cups flour and 2tsp baking powder
Add 2 cups grated carrot and 1 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped walnuts
Bake 350*F for an hour
Ice with cream cheese icing

Cream Cheese Icing
125g cream cheese
1/4LB butter
2 cups sieved icing sugar
1tsp vanilla ess.
Beat all together, then put into fridge till set a little.
Enjoy

 
Joe, I think butter would be ok as a substitute, but mine calls for oil too, so...

I don't speak from experience on the butter substitiute, but I often do switch butter for oil, so I don't see why it wouldn't work in reverse.

Mine is as follows (it was from Charlie):

Spiced Walnut Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cups carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
1 cup pineapple, chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon (orig called for 2)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the carrots, walnuts, pineapple, raisins, and coconut with 1/2 cup of the flour to coat them and keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake batter.

Sift together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer with a whip attachment, mix the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (the "ribbon" stage) then drizzle in the vegetable oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and pour over the carrot mixture. Fold carefully to blend, then pour the batter into a buttered, floured 10-inch cake pan
containing a circle of parchment paper in the bottom. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a rack and then turn out. Dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into wedges to serve.

Source: Gale Gand in "Sweet Dreams"

 
Hi Joe, I have never seen a carrot cake recipe w/out oil

I wonder why?

I like the one from Silver Palate, it calls for pureed carrots instead of raw. Let me know if you want me to post it.

 
Joe, I checked my dessert cookbook that has 14 recipes for carrot cake and every recipe calls for

3/4 to 1 1/2 cup oil. Since you have 3 months, maybe you can experiment with butter and let us know how it turns out.

 
Thank you all. I suspected that oil was an inherent >>

ingredient. Alton Brown was going on about how this was a MUFFIN recipe and not a cake recipe. I gathered that the oil had something to do with that--added at the end instead of butter which is creamed at the beginning. Sometimes carrot cake tastes just plain greasy to me, but maybe the quality of the oil is the issue.

I'm going to try these recipes and perhaps Alton's, and I may substitute melted butter and let you know what happens.

Thanks again!

 
I agree - the Silver Palate is AWESOME - glad you can post it

because I don't have the recipe handy. Concerning the carrots - I finely chop (the hell out of) them in my little chopper and then nuke them with a bit of water until they are softened.



Debra
(I love using oil in cakes - so moist)

 
REC: Dee's Carrot Cake

Joe,
This recipe is awesome. It is the cake requested by all my neighbors.

Dee’s Carrot Cake

2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
2 t cinnamon
½ t. salt
2 c. sugar
½ c. salad oil
4 eggs
2 c. finely grated carrots
1 (8 ½ oz) can crushed pineapple
½ c. chopped nuts
1 (3 ½ oz) can flaked coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting
½ c. butter
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. X-sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder,
baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add sugar, salad oil and eggs;
beat well. Add carrots, pineapple, nuts and coconut; blend
thoroughly. Pour into 3 9-inch round cake pans that have been
greased and floured. Bake in moderate oven 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool a few minutes in pans. Turn out on
wire racks and cool thoroughly. Fill layers and frost top and
sides of cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla; cream well. Add X-sugar
gradually, beating well. If mixture is too thick, add small amount of
milk.

 
I agree, and was just going to post it myself. Rec: Carrot Cake

I only discovered this recipe a couple years ago, through the swap. Prior to that there was another I made for years and years and really loved. Will post that one next. It uses raw carrots as opposed to the cooked carrots in Silver Palate's.

Carrot Cake

3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups corn oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cups shredded coconut
1-1/3 cups pureed cooked carrots
3/4 cups drained crushed pineapple
Cream-Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.. Grease two 9" layer cake pans and line with wax paper.
Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in walnuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple. Pour batter into prepared pans. Set in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill cake and frost sides with cream-cheese frosting. Yield: 10-12 portions

Cream-Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
6 tbsp sweet butter at room temperature
3 cups confectioner's (aka powdered) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used 2 tsp)

Cream together cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl (I use a mixer). Slowly sift in confectioner's sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. Mixture should be free of lumps. Stir in vanilla. Yield: Frosting for a 2-layer cake.

Source: Silver Palate Cookbook

 
And here's the other carrot cake recipe I've made for over 30 years...wow that makes me feel old ;o)

Carrot Cake

1 cup salad oil
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 medium can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup nuts (usually use walnuts)

Mix oil, eggs and sugar. Beat in carrots and pineapple. Add flour, spices and vanilla. Mix in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour in greased 9x13 pan (I use a glass baking dish) or 2 9-inch cake pans or cupcakes for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 box powdered sugar
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped, nuts, optional

Cream together and add nuts, if desired. Add a little milk if too thick.

Source: I'm not sure where this recipe came from...probably a friend...long ago.

 
Oh no Dawn, I'm about to get up on my soap box again, LOL! >>

But wait, oil probably is healthier than butter (if it's cold-pressed.) Damn, I had my Julia Child impression all set to go.

Maybe I can slip an extra pat or two into the frosting.

 
Heheh, Joe, that's what I meant. I almost added "This recipe...

is actually healthy" with all the fruit and nuts in there. But I did mean that maybe the conventional recipes for carrot cake use oil in there to make it healthier than if you used butter, because except for the sugar, actually it is a very healthy recipe.

Not that I am health food freak by any means! LOL - hubby's eyes are rolling as I type. Just the opposite. I do not confess to be anything but a junk-food junkie. Well, maybe some healthy stuff in there too, but only if it's good ;o)

 
Pat, thanks for posting! This is my all time favorite Carrot Cake.Joe, Let us know which you make nt

 
This is the best carrot cake I have every had.....tried and true!

This got raves on the old Kitchen Seek site. You can find it here
http://63.123.232.200/HyperNews/get/archive_swap46601-46700/46644/4.html

and read the reviews.


Jim Rice's Carrot Cake

Grate 4 cups carrots(fine). Set aside

Mix together:
4 eggs, well beaten
add 2 cups sugar, gradually
stir in 1 cup vegetable oil

Sift together:
2 cups regular flour
2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Add to first mixture, mix well
Add 2 teaspoons vanilla
Stir in carrots

Bake in well-greased, well-floured glass 9 x
13 baking dish for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Soften 1/2 cube butter
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
Beat together, and add 1/2 box powdered sugar
and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix well and frost cake

Make at least 2 days ahead of time and put in
cool place to absorb flavors. Refrigerator
is ok.

I'm told the other secret is to grate carrots
in the food processor. Worked for me.

 
Thank you Michelle and Karen, these sound wonderful>>

So many to choose from; I'm going to be King of the Carrot Cake by April!

 
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