Not many words today, no time. (Recipe below!)
This is my first 3-layer cake - can you tell the type? (If you didn't read the title, that is.)
How about now?
There's something so awesome about a delicious cake that has a bunch of veggies in it! Carrots cancel out sugar, right?
Getting to this point was tricky, but as Jeff says, you just have to commit! This thing survived all kinds of hurdles, like how I flipped over each layer onto a dish towel to cool, which caused a whole skin of cake to stay on the towel when I peeled it off...but you can't tell...
Jeff helped frost his own birthday cake. I was nervous about doing the sides because my first experience (chocolate peanut butter double-layer cake) looked awful. This one turned out quite pretty, if a little lopsided.
Happy Birthday Jeff!
Birthday Carrot Cake
adapted from Emeril & Gigi & The Food Network
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pans
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Walnut Cream Cheese Icing
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 lb. confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup crushed toasted walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter three 9-inch cake pans with the butter and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Fold in the nuts. Divide equally between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks (don't lay on dishtowels!), remove from the pans, and let cool.
For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and walnuts.
When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and top with crushed walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
