It's taken me a few tries but I have found the perfect carrot cake recipe, and just in time for Easter! The previous recipe I tried, posted here, used raisins and pineapple, both of which are pretty standard ingredients in carrot cake but I felt like it made the cake too dense and a bit dry, especially if they are not finely chopped. This recipe in comparison is very simple and easy to make (and it also tastes good!).
The decorations are optional but I had a lot of fun trying to find something that was natural and would taste good with carrot cake. I think it's one of my best-looking carrot cakes to date but feel free to leave your own review in the comments. You can double or triple the zest recipe is desired, the candied zest can last up to week if stored in an airtight container.
Ingredients (cake):
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
3 cups finely grated carrots (3 large carrots should do, peel and finely chop in food processor)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer walnuts)
Ingredients (frosting):
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt (if using salted butter, omit this)
2 tsp vanilla
5-6 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp milk or cream, optional
Ingredients (decoration):
1 large navel orange
1/3 cup sugar
Whole walnuts
Directions (cake):
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease two 9" round pans (this recipe can also make about 30 cupcakes). Beat oil, sugar, salt, eggs, spices and baking soda. Measure your flour by gently scooping it into a cup and sweeping off excess. Add the flour and stir until blended. Add the carrots and nuts and mix until blended. Divide batter among pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan slightly, then transfer to a wire rack.
Directions (frosting):
Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in sugar 1 cup at a time and continue beating until you've reached your desired consistency. Add milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff.
Cake and frosting recipe from King Arthur Flour.
Directions (decoration):
Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest form orange into long, wide strips. Julienne the zest diagonally and transfer to a small saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain and repeat, draining and patting dry at the end. Bring 2/3 cups water and 1/3 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add dried orange zest and simmer, stirring occasionally, until zest is translucent and tender, about 25 minutes. Cool zest in syrup, then drain. Set zest on a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch drips. Dry zest for 1 hour.
Recipe from epicurious.
Assembly:
Place both layers of cake on top of each other, remembering to frost in between the layers. You should have a little excess frosting if you generously coat. Decorate the rim with whole walnuts, if desired. Delicately twist the orange zest and place along edge and on top of walnuts as pictured above.