Gourmet Carrot Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make the cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two 9"-diameter cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat rounds with nonstick spray. If using raisins and rum, heat together in a small saucepan over low just until warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until liquid is absorbed and raisins are plump, 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes; let cool. Combine carrots and buttermilk in a medium bowl.
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually stream in oil. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with carrot mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Fold in raisins, if using, and walnuts with a rubber spatula. Scrape batter into prepared pans.
• Bake cakes, rotating pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of cakes and invert onto wire rack; remove parchment. Let cool completely.
• Make the frosting:
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla extract and salt. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in powdered sugar. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Assemble the cake:
• Place 1 cake, domed side down, on a platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting evenly over top. Place remaining cake, domed side down, on top. Spread top and sides with 1 1/4 cups frosting and chill 30 minutes to let frosting set. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides, swirling decoratively. Top with Candied Carrot Coins, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to warm 315dF.
• Brush a deep 9 inch round cake tin with melted butter or oil.
• Line the base and side with baking paper.
• Sift the flours, spices and soda into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Whisk together the oil, sugar, syrup and eggs and gradually stir in the dry ingredients until smooth.
• Stir in the carrot and walnuts.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin.
• Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
• Cool in the tin, then on a wire rack Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
• Gradually add the icing sugar alternately with the vanilla and lemon juice, beating until light and creamy.
• Spread the icing over the cake or cut th cake horizontally, sandwich the layers together with half the icing and spread the rest on top.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160c. Brush a deep, 23cm round cake tin with melted butter or oil. Line the base and sides with baking paper.
• Sift together the flours, spices, and soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
• Whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and syrup in a jug until combined. Gradually stir this mixture into the dry ingredients; stir until smooth.
• Stir in the carrot and nuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin; smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.
• Leave the cake in the tin for at least 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
• To make the icing: Beat the cream cheese and butter with electric beaters until smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar alternately with the vanilla and juice, beating until light and creamy. Spread the Icing over the cooled cake.
• PLEASE NOTE: The cake can be halved horizontally. Sandwich the layers together with half the icing and spread the remainder on top.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Brush three 9-inch-round cake pans with vegetable oil and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then pulse in a food processor until very finely chopped.
• Combine the pecans, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and granulated sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, lemon zest, eggs and 1/2 cup marmalade. Stir in the carrots, then fold the carrot mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Divide among the prepared pans and spread evenly (it won't look like a lot of batter, but the cakes will rise in the oven). Put 2 pans on the upper oven rack and the third pan on the lower rack. Bake until the cakes bounce back when touched and a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching the position of the pans halfway through. Transfer the pans to racks until cool enough to handle, then invert the cakes onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment.
• Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl with a mixer until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt until smooth.
• Put 1 cake layer on a platter. Spread with 1 tablespoon marmalade, then spread about 3/4 cup frosting over the marmalade. Top with another cake layer, marmalade and frosting. Spread the final cake layer with a thin layer of frosting. (This is the crumb coat; it doesn't have to be perfect.) Refrigerate 1 hour, then cover with the remaining frosting. Swirl some marmalade into the top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Photograph by Con Poulos

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch or 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Coat the pan with flour, tapping out the excess. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt, and then sift them into a second bowl to make sure the spices are well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and eggs until blended, and then stir the egg mixture into the flour with a rubber spatula. Fold in the walnuts, pineapple, and grated carrot. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
• Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool until easy to handle, and turn out onto a cake rack.
• While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat on medium speed until well combined and fluffy, about 10 minutes or until smooth. Spread the frosting on the top of the loaf.