Carrot Cake

There is a magical place in Bloomington, MN. This is a place where the cakes really are a slice of heaven. This place is called Taste of Scandinavia. They have amazing breakfasts and amazing lefse besides these magnificent towers of creamy indulgence. The very first time I was introduced to the wonder that was this blissful bakery of cakes the only existed in my dreams was by my sister. She wanted one of these cakes for her birthday...I remember the first time I met this cake. It was chocolate raspberry and it forever changed my life and my view of cake. But my rendezvous didn't end there. Bailey's Irish Cream Cake, Creme De Menthe Cake, Black Forest Torte, Chocolate Symphony Torte...and the cake that inspired this quest...Carrot Cake. Oh, the carrot cake. If I were to only eat carrot cake one more time, I would order it from them!

Now this cake is nowhere near their carrot cake. Their carrot cake is full of crushed pineapple, golden raisins and walnuts. This is a simpler carrot cake that I stumbled upon on my quest to their carrot cake of nirvana. My quest does still continue for the ultimate carrot cake with all the fixings, but I think this is my go to basic carrot cake and may provide the perfect base to build off of to reach the ultimate carrot cake full of nuts and fruit. No fluff or fruffy business here though, just good solid basic carrot cake.

Alton Brown from the Food Network has never steered my wrong, so I knew his carrot cake would be worth a shot. Since baking is an exact science, everything in his recipe is measured by weight which is a must with his recipes. The end product is a moist and flavorful cake. I only made one change to this recipe. It calls for grated carrrots; however, after I grated my carrots, I pulsed them in the food processor to have a finer shred of carrot. I should also mention that the recipe calls to make this into 1 layer, but this is a super thick layer. The super thick layer is good...but if you prefer a higher frosting to cake ratio, divide the batter into 2 layers and watch your baking time. If you are going to make this as one large layer, I can't stress the importance of checking the temperature of the center of the cake. It is the only sure fire way to make sure you are cooking through without over cooking. You can also increase the spices from 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp if you like a more spiced carrot cake.

You'll have to excuse the excess of pictures. I made this for Easter and was able to use my parents camera which is leaps and bounds better than mine, so enjoy some better quality pictures.

Carrot Cake
Adapted slightly from Alton Brown
Yield 12 servings

unsalted butter or cooking spray for pan coating
12 oz. all purpose flour
12 oz. grated carrot at a medium grate (and pulse in food processor to fine shavings, if preferred)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 oz. brown sugar
6 oz. plain yogurt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground all spice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
10 oz. sugar
3 large eggs
6 oz. vegetable oil
Toasted Chopped Pecans for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 inch cake round. Line bottom with parchment paper (or butter and line 2 pans if making 2 layers).

Put carrots in mixing bowl and set aside. In food processor, process flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to carrots and toss until well coated. In bowl of food processor combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs and yogurt. Drizzle in vegetable oil while food processor is running. Pour into carrot mixtures and stir until just combined.

Pour into cake pan and bake on middle rack 45 minutes then reduce heat to 325 degrees F and cook an additional 20 minutes until center of cake reaches 205-210 degrees F. Remove from oven and cook 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. Frost and chill at least 1 hour prior to serving. Garnish with pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 oz. unsalted butter at room temperature
9 oz. powdered sugar, sifted.

Beat butter and cream cheese until just blended. Add vanilla and beat until combined. On low, beat in powdered sugar in 4 batches. Chill 5-10 minutes. Frost cake.

That is thick cake!

But...oh...so...good!