Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Name: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 1/2 tsp baking poweder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 4 eggs; 1 1/4 cups brown sugar; 1 cup canola oil; 1 tsp vanilla; 5 medium carrots, peeled and grated; 3 1/2 cups icing sugar; 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 250-g pkg cream cheese

Prep Time50 mins
Total Time2 hrs 30 mins
Makes12 adult servings

Welcome the warm weather with this melt-in-your-mouth cake. Little ones will love helping to make the thick cream cheese icing (and licking the beaters).

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking poweder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
5 medium carrots, peeled and grated

Cream cheese icing

3 1/2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 250-g pkg cream cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray two 9-in. round cake pans with oil. Line bottom of pans with parchment.
Stir flour with cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl until combined.
Whisk eggs with brown sugar, oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in grated carrots. Fold in flour mixture until no streaks remain. Divide batter between prepared pans, smoothing tops.
Bake in centre of oven until a cake tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 min. Let cool 10 min, then turn cakes onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
Set one cake on a platter or cake stand. Spread with 1 cup icing (see below), right to edge. Top with remaining cake. Spread remaining icing on top of cake to the edge. Decorate with candy carrots (see below).
Iced cake will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 days. Make candy carrots and decorate cake just before serving, so the mint stays fresh.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories 667, Protein 6g, Carbohydrates 76g, Fat 39g, Fibre 1g, Sodium 349mg.

Cream cheese icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine icing sugar with butter and lemon juice. Beat on low until combined, 1 min. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 5 min. Add cream cheese and beat on medium-high just until combined, 30 sec.

Candy carrots: Microwave an orange taffy candy until soft, 10 to 12 sec. Roll into a ball and then into a log, tapering one end. Gently press ridges into carrot with the back of a paring knife. Stick a mint stem in the thickest end.

Originally published in the Today’s Parent April 2015 issue, this recipe has a triple-tested guarantee from the Chatelaine Kitchen powered by GE.

This article was originally published on Aug 09, 2017

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