Mealtime Magic - Simple Carrot Cake Made Glorious

Perfect for spring and Easter holiday, check out this great carrot cake recipe from our cookbook Let's Bake! Over 100 Dessert Recipes for Gifting & Giving by the wonderful home baker Gail Sweeney.

Simple Carrot Cake Made Glorious
Equipment: Two 9-inch cake pans, lined with parchment and buttered, a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer.

Ingredients

For the cake

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour scooped and leveled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chopped fresh ripe pineapple or canned pineapple
1-1/4 cups raisins soaked in 2 tablespoons orange juice
2-1/2 cups carrots (peeled, grated, and blotted on a paper towel)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs at room temperature

For the frosting

3 blocks of cream cheese, 750 grams in total (slightly cooler than room temperature)
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
4 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To make the cake...

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the raisins and orange juice in a small saucepan and warm over medium low heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Set aside to allow the fruit to soak up the juice. Peel and grate the carrots (you will need 1 medium to large bunch of carrots) and blot on a paper towel. Chop up the fresh pineapple in 1/4-inch pieces. If using canned pineapple, drain well and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.

Whisk together the flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda on a large sheet of parchment paper. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer on low, tip in the dry ingredients and mix, until just blended. Add the raisins with any remaining liquid, the pineapple and the carrots and mix, until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. The tops of the cakes will look quite browned. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes before turning them out onto a cake rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting...

In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese, until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Gradually add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

To make optional garnish...

I garnished this cake with Cape gooseberries and dipped the gooseberry fruit (not the leaves) into a caramel syrup. This was made by bringing 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water to a boil and allowing the sugar to reach a rich amber color, before dipping the gooseberries. Feel free to get creative here depending on the occasion.

Putting it all together...

Place a dab of icing on a cardboard cake plate and center the first cake layer on the board. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of this cake layer before topping with your second cake layer. Generously cover the tops and sides of the cake, being careful to fill in any gaps between the layers. Place the gooseberries on top of the cake. Enjoy!

About the Author

Gail Sweeney has been baking and tweaking her recipes for over 25 years, providing specialty markets, bistros and boutique stores with her renowned goods. Her love for baking stems from the happiness it brings to others. Also an aspiring food photographer, her recipes have been featured in local newspapers and television in Ontario, Canada.