CARROT LOVERS CAKE W CREAM CHEESE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM FROST

Ingredienti

70 g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter (carrot puree)

½ teaspoon baking soda (carrot puree)

½ teaspoon kosher salt (carrot puree)

560 g (3 ¾ cups) carrots*, peeled & sliced ¼ in. (carrot puree). This is to yield 300 g of puree the recipe calls for!

185 g (1 ⅔ cups) carrots*, finely grated

338 g (2 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour, unbleached

3 1/8 teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal Kosher)

1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

300 g (1 ¼ Cups) caramelized carrot puree** (see above)

105 g (7 ½ Tablespoons) sour cream, full fat

6 g (1 ¼ teaspoons)vanilla extract

88 g (6 ¼ Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened slightly

400 g (1 ¾ cups) brown sugar (light or dark)

45 g (3 ¾ tablespoons) oil (canola or vegetable)

100 g (5 large) egg yolks

125 g (2 ½ large) wholeeggs

1 ¼ cups add-ins, see

footnote***

CREAM CHEESE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM INGREDIENTS:

339 g (1 1/2 cups) full-fat cream cheese⟡, cold from fridge

294 g (21 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold from fridge

420 g (3 1/2 cups) powdered (confectioner's) sugar⟡⟡, unsifted if not clumpy

8 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla extract

2 g (1/8 teaspoon) fine sea salt

1 tsp Orange flavor emulsion

Istruzioni

FOR THE CAKE:

1. MAKE THE CARAMELIZED CARROT PUREE (USE THE INGREDIENTS LABELED: "CARROT PUREE"):

a. Preheat the oven to 400 °F (205 °C).

b. In a small baking dish, add the butter and place in the oven until melted (or browned!) for a few minutes. Remove the pan andcarefully stir in the baking soda and salt. Toss the carrots in the melted butter.

c. Cover with foil and bake for about 45-50minutes. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes to get some extra caramelization. You'll know they're done when the carrots are slightly caramelized (browned) on their surfaces and easily mashed with a fork.

d. Puree the carrots using a blender or food processor.

e. Set your carrot puree aside to cool for at least 15 minutes before using. You can also do this step ahead of time and store your carrot puree in an airtight container in the fridge. If I’m moving straight through the recipe, I’ll grate my carrots (in the next step) and prep my mix-ins (chopping nuts, etc.) while waiting.

If adding pecans to the batter, roast the pecans in an oven proof skillet @ 400°F for 15 minutes while the carrots are roasting.

2. PREHEAT THE OVEN FOR THE CAKES:

Move your rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C)

3. PREPARE THE PAN:

If you plan on serving inside the baking pan, you can butter and flour the entire interior. If you plan on removing the cake from the pan for further assembly, butter the sides and then lay parchment along just the bottom.

4. GRATE CARROTS.

Using the small holes on a box grater, finelygrate your carrots. Place them into a bowl so they don't dry out.

5. PREPARE THE DRY AND WET MIXTURES.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl for 30 seconds. Set bowl aside.

In a measuring cup, stir together your cooled carrot puree, sour cream, and vanilla until there are no lumps of sour cream. Set that aside as well.

6. CREAM THE FATS WITH SUGAR.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the soft butter, brown sugar, and oil at medium-high speed until it is smooth, about 2-4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl at least once.

7. ADD EGGS.

At the lowest speed, mix the yolks to combine. Add in the egg(s),  turn the speed up to medium, and mix until the batter no longer looks curdled and is smooth and light brown in cut 30 seconds. Don’t overmix at this step, or you risk over-aerating the batter, which will cause the cake to rise during baking and inevitably fall during cooling (the crumb is just too heavy with the carrots). It will still be yummy and frostable, though.

8. ALTERNATE ADDING THE DRY AND WET MIXTURES.

Add the dry (flour) in 3 additions and the wet (carrot-sour cream) in 2 additions as follows:

a. Add half of your flour mixture (170 gm)to the stand mixer. On low speed, mix until all the flour has just been incorporated. Scrape down with a spatula.

b. Add approx. half of your sour cream-carrot mixture, mix, and scrape.

c. Next, mix half of your remaining flour mixture (85 gm) on low speed and scrape.

d. Add the rest of your sour cream-carrot mixture, mix on low, scrape.

e. Last, add the rest of the flour (85 gm), your finely shredded carrots, and your add-ins (if using). I like to fold in by hand with a spatula to avoid overmixing. Make sure to break up all the shredded carrots - they clump together in the batter. (If you've added many add-ins, like raisins, use a spatula to smooth out your batter when you pour it into your baking pans. You should do this even if you're just using shredded carrots - it's a thick batter ☺️)

9. FILL THE PANS:

Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pan.

10. BAKE FOR ABOUT 28-32 MINUTES. I ENDED UP NEEDING 48 MINUTES FOR THE CENTER OF THE CAKE TO SET!!!

When you shake the pan, the centers should not jiggle. A skewer inserted in the center should only have a few crumbs. If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature should be around 190-200°F/88-93°C.

11. COOL THE CAKE:

Move the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan. Some cakes will deflate slightly (particularly the chiffons), but all my cakes are designed to be cooled while resting upright in the pans.

12. REMOVE CAKE FROM PANS:

If you're not serving your cake in the pan, allow it to cool almost completely before removal. Once the cake pan has cooled down enough to handle, slide a knife around the perimeter of the cake to loosen it, and carefully invert the pan above a wire rack. The cake should fall right out, and you can peel the parchment off the bottom. You can leave the cakes out if your frosting is done, and you're immediately moving to assembly. Usually, if it's more than 30 minutes, I will wrap the cake in plastic to reduce moisture loss. The cakes must be completely cooled before moving on to the assembly.

CREAM CHEESE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM INSTRUCTIONS

1. SMOOTH OUT THE CREAM CHEESE.

In a large mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer, use your paddle attachment), mix the cold cream cheese on low speed until creamy and until no lumps remain. Try to mix as little as possible and stop just when it is smooth. You can check with a spatula by smearing it around a little and then scrape out the cream cheese into another small bowl and set aside.

2. SMOOTH OUT THE BUTTER.

Cut the cold butter into chunks so it’s easier to work with and add to the same bowl (no need to clean the bowl or attachments). Cream until smooth and there are no visible lumps.

3. ADD THE POWDERED SUGAR IN INCREMENTS.

Add about a third of the powdered sugar (no need to be exact) (approximately 1 cup per addition) and mix on low. Once combined, add the next third and repeat. With the final addition, mix in the vanilla, orange emulsion (if desired) and a pinch of salt—cream cheese is already salted, so adjust to taste at the end. If using a hand mixer, this part takes the longest; I use a scraping motion to help it come together faster.

4. ADD THE CREAM CHEESE & SMOOTH OUT THE BUTTERCREAM

Add the smooth, cold cream cheese to the butter-sugar mixture and mix on low just until the lumps disappear. Use a spatula to finish blending—it’ll thin out slightly as the cream cheese incorporates. Avoid overmixing to prevent the frosting from becoming too thin.

Note

https://www.sugarologie.com/cakeculator-result?cake=carrot-lovers&pan=9x13-23x33cm-rectangle&frosting=cream-cheese-american-buttercream&frostlevel=Medium+Coverage#recipe

CAKE NOTES FROM ADRIANA

*The quality of this cake hinges on the carrots. Try to find bright orange and sweet ones, preferably with the greens attached, so you know they’re fresh!

**The initial roasting step may yield extra carrot puree. Roast using the amounts indicated for the carrot puree, and then measure how much you need.

***Dried fruit and nuts are "add-ins" for carrot cake and are pretty divisive; you either love or hate them in your cakes. You can alter this recipe to suit any palate. You can add up to the total volume indicated in your recipe. Things that work well are raisins, currants, toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped candied ginger, a pinch of finely grated orange zest, or shredded coconut. My favorites are raisins, toasted pecans, and just a touch of orange zest.If you add extra ingredients, smooth out your batter so that they bake evenly. (This is not necessary for cupcakes.) Also, it may take a couple more minutes to bake with additions, so use a skewer test/thermometer to ensure no uncooked batter in the centers.

FROSTING NOTES FROM ADRIANA

⟡ I have only tried making this buttercream with block-style cream cheese.

⟡⟡Try to use the highest-quality powdered sugar you can find; these are typically labeled “10X” or higher. Generic brands tend to cut their powdered sugar with a higher ratio or coarser types of starch, which, when uncooked, can feel grainy or sandy in the final frosting. One American brand that works well for me is C&H.