Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

56

PREP TIME

50 min

TOTAL TIME

2 hrs 30 min

Makes

12 adult servings

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

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
  • 6 g,
  • Carbohydrates
  • 76 g,
  • Fat
  • 39 g,
  • Fibre
  • 1 g,
  • Sodium
  • 349 mg.

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.

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