Tony Zentgraf
I can’t take credit for this carrot cake recipe, it is from Chef Bo Friberg’s, The Professional Pastry Chef. This recipe is easy to make, bakes up very moist. Finish the cake with cream cheese icing, your guests will be amazed at how good this homemade carrot cake is.
Carrot Cake has its Roots in Pudding?
Yes, you read that right, carrot cake is believed to have started as a pudding back in 16th century Europe. Back then, sugar and other sweeteners were expensive or hard to get. Many recipes called for carrots to substitute the sweetness. Often times the pudding recipes would call for bread crumbs to be added as a substitute for flour as well.
In 1824, a French chef of King Louis XVI made a recipe for Gateau de Carottes. Translated is literally Carrot Cake. This recipe was published in England in a French cookbook in the late 1800s.
Researching heritage cookbooks from other European countries you will probably find some type of bread or cake baked with carrots. Italy has a version called Torta di Carote which uses almond flour or meal as well as flour. The Italian torte bakes up much more dense and generally decorated with powdered sugar and not much else. Switzerland has a version that has hazelnuts and almonds with a Kirsch Brandy glaze.
In England, during World War II, sugar was difficult to find due to food rations. The Ministry of Food published a recipe for a cake using carrots as the sweetener.
Where and when the cream cheese icing comes into play is more difficult to track down. Sometime during and after the war the UK and the US beginning to bake carrot cake regularly. At some point along the way, the addition of cream cheese icing was added.
Bread Flour? I thought we were making a cake?
The reasoning for bread flour in carrot cake goes into the science realm of food and baking. Without getting too technical, the bread flour has more gluten than cake flour. This allows for a firmer structure to form in the cake.
Remember, this is needed because there are 2 lbs of carrots in the recipe. Even in recipes that call for only a pound of carrots, you will find the need for bread flour to give those carrots a lift. Other types of cakes are most times lighter and have a different crumb than that of a denser carrot cake.
If you wish, you can add additional spices such as nutmeg or clove to this recipe. Cinnamon is the only spice called for in this recipe but spice it up if you wish. Start with adding a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and a 1/4 tsp of clove.
If you want to get really wild, substitute one of the tablespoons of cinnamon with 1 Tbl of cardamom for a different twist on the flavor.
Take a Look at Other Delicious Desserts
Enjoy!
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Print RecipeEquipment
- 2 10 Cake Rounds
- 1 Sheet of Parchment Paper or 2 pre cut rounds
- 3 Cardboard Rounds for Cake
- 1 Bench Knife or Scraper for Decorating Cake
- 1 Offset 1 ½ – 2" wide spatula or straight spatula
- 1 Strainer to sift the flour
- 1 Mixer or hand mixer
Recipe Multiplier
Cake Ingredients
- 2 lbs Carrots shredded
- 18 oz Bread Flour - By Weight
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 3 tbsp Cinnamon
- 8 ea Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable Oil
- 28 oz Sugar - By Weight
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 5 oz Chopped Walnuts (optional)
- 4 oz Raisins (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing
- 16 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 8 oz Butter Unsalted (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 – 10 Cake Rounds
Instructions
Making the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 375°
- Grate the Carrots on a box grater or food processor. Reserve aside until needed.
- Combine in a bowl, flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Sift through a mesh strainer into another bowl. Reserve aside until needed.
- In a mixer, add the eggs and whip to full volume.
- With the mixer running add the oil to the eggs.
- Turn off the mixer and add half of the sugar and salt, mix to combine.
- Turn off the mixer and add the second half of the sugar to the mixture and whip to combine the sugar.
- Turn the mixer on medium speed and add the sifted dry ingredients about a cup or two at a time to avoid making a mess. (speaking from experience, on this one)
- Once the sifted dry ingredients have been added and mixed to combine remove from the mixer.
- Scrape the bowl sides and bottom to ensure all ingredients have been incorporated.
- Add 1/3-1/2 of the shredded carrots to the bowl and mix to combine.
- Repeat the process to add all the shredded carrots.
Prepare the Cake Pans & Baking
- Place a cake pan on the parchment paper and trace the outline of the cake pan. Repeat the process for the second pan. Cut out the circles.
- Spray the cake pans, sides and bottom with baking spray.
- Add the parchment rounds to the pans. Spray the top of the parchment papers with baking spray.
- Divide the cake batter between the pans.
- Place the cake pans directly on the oven shelf in the center of the oven.
- Bake for 50 min at 375°
- Once the cake has baked, it should slightly spring back on top when touched and be slightly pulling away from the side of the pan at the top. You can do the toothpick test as well if you like. Generally, the bake time and temp are good for this cake.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks.
- Once the cakes are cool enough to touch the pans, remove the cakes from the pans.
- Using a paring knife, slice around the cake pans to release the cake from the sides.
- Place a cardboard cake round on top of the cake.
- Flip the pan and cardboard cake round over and shake the pan to release the cake from the bottom. **If you wait until the cakes are completely cooled you may have to heat the bottom of the cake pan to release the parchment from the pan.
- Place the cakes on the cardboard bases on a rack to cool completely.
- Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap & refrigerate to keep moist. The cakes are easiest to handle if they are chilled. The cakes can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 48 hours.
Making Cream Cheese Icing
- Place the room temperature cream cheese and butter in a mixer.
- Whip the cream cheese and butter until combined.
- Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- While mixing, add powdered sugar in 1 cup increments to avoid getting clumps.
- Once all the powdered sugar has been added, taste for flavor.
- Additional powdered sugar can assist with thickening or you can add 2 tbl of cornstarch to the icing to help stiffen.
- You can use immediately or refrigerate to harden up the icing. Refrigerate no longer than 30 minutes at a time, mix with a spatula and repeat process until the texture you want is achieved. **I do not recommend refrigerating overnight the cream cheese and butter will harden making it difficult to work with until it comes to room temperature.
Decorating the Cake
- Place a cake with the cardboard round on a cake stand (or if you don’t have a cake stand on a cutting board will work.)
- Using a serrated knife, such as a bread knife that is long, determine the middle of the cake on the side.
- Begin to slice the cake at the side. As you slice toward the center of the cake, turn the cake as you slice. This will allow the knife to stay on the same path using the area of the cake that you have sliced as a guide. (see video)
- Once both cakes have been split, place one cake on the cake stand or cutting board with a cardboard round underneath.
- Remove the top piece of the cake onto a second cardboard round and set aside.
- Layer icing on the first layer of cake and spread to cover about 1/4" thick.
- Place the next cake on top by sliding it off the cardboard round on to the icing.
- Repeat the process of layering icing and cake until you place the last cake on top.
- Once you have all 4 halves of the cake layered with icing begin to place a crumb coat of icing onto the top and sides of the cake. (see video)
- Once a thin coat is placed on the cake, refrigerate the cake to stiffen up the crumb coat.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and continue the process of layering the final coat of icing on the top and sides.
- Using a bench knife and a long offset spatula, smooth the icing on the top and sides. (see video)
- Once the desired look is achieved, decorate the cake sides with walnuts halves or pieces.
- Decorate the top as you wish, additional walnuts or get creative piping icing.
- Chill the cake makes it easier to slice because the cake and icing hardens up or you can serve immediately. Enjoy!
This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had!