Carrot cake is healthy because it has veggies in it

carrots do not equal good vision

I stand by that statement.  Vegetables equal healthy.  I do not care if carrots have a high sugar content that makes them extra sweet when cooked.  Cream cheese is also a healthy way to get dairy.  Okay, fine.  Not really.  But at least we can pretend it is a healthy choice for dessert.  And like my mom used to tell me when I was little and wouldn't eat carrots: they are good for your eyes.  Sadly, I think she was lying because I have horrible vision.

So I decided for some odd reason that I was going to make a carrot cake.  It is not something I have ever made and it is not something I usually have a particular craving for.  But maybe I was on chocolate overload (is that possible??) and needed something to counterbalance it.  Broccoli muffins didn't sound so great, so carrot cake it was.  Oh and what a carrot cake it was...

sweet, savory and delicious

So I had a rude awakening in the process of making this cake: my husband does not like carrot cake.  But when I finished the recipe and tried it, I made him have a taste too.  He was instantly sold on carrot cake.  He said his dislike had some connection to Danny Tanner, Full House and broccoli.  Well I was glad I didn't make broccoli muffins.  After one bite though, all those thoughts of the Tanner household left my husband's mind and he was happily eating the cake.  Plato the Cat also got in on the action and had some cream cheese frosting.  He approved with some very loud purring.

I used a couple more carrots than pictured here, but not too many more.

The first thing you need for carrot cake is the star of the show -- carrots.  I thought I would need a million and seven carrots.  It turned out I overestimated by about a million.  Yep, it took about seven carrots (even less if you have large ones).  Then you have to grate them.

If you don't have a box grater, get one!

This part is possibly the only annoying part of making this cake.  If you have a box grater that works well and is what I used.  Of course when you get to the ends of the carrots it gets hard to keep grating.  So once I got down to a point where I couldn't hold the carrot really well and keep grating, I stopped and ate the little piece that was left.  Remember: carrots are healthy.  If you have one of those things that will hold the carrot for you while you grate it, then you are lucky and won't have to eat any extra carrots.

Once that is done we set the carrots aside and mix the dry ingredients except the sugars.  If you have a food processor, you can use that to do this step.  I don't have one, so I just mixed it together with my revived whisk.

Dry ingredient party minus sugars and flour

Then toss the dry ingredients with the carrots, until they are fully coated.

Then mix the sugars, eggs and yogurt.  This can also be done in the food processor if you have one.  Since I don't have one large enough for this, I just used a hand mixer and it turned out just fine.

Once that is mixed its time to introduce the egg mixture to the carrot mixture.  Now you might wonder why we bothered tossing the carrots with the flour mixture if we were just going to put it all together at the end anyhow.  Well, there is a really good reason for this: distribution.  Without coating the carrots, they would clump together and fall to the bottom of the cake pan.  That actually might be a kind of pretty carrot-upside-down cake kind of thing... but that is a thought for another day.  By coating the carrots with flour, we can be sure that they don't stick together and mingle with all parts of the batter rather than seek comfort in sticking in one big group like teenagers at a party.

One its all mixed, pour it into the pan and pop into the oven.  Now this is the part that was the hardest for me to appreciate.  It takes carrot cake a LONG time to bake.  A little over an hour. It also takes a while for it to cool. But be patient.

cooling on a wire rack cuts the time down considerably

Once the cake is cooled you can frost it.  Of course this means you will need to make some cream cheese frosting, which is ridiculously easy. You can do it while you are waiting for the cake to cook.  It will help keep your mind off the delicious smell of the baked cake.

To make the cream cheese frosting, mix together butter and cream cheese.  Then add vanilla.  Then add the sugar in small batches (about 1/4 at a time works well).  Beat until it is smooth and creamy.

Once the frosting is done, let it chill in the fridge about 15 minutes.  I slightly goofed on my frosting (hey I never said I was perfect!) by using fat free cream cheese.  I always try to cut fat and calories where I can in food without sacrificing the taste.  So when recipes call for cream cheese I use Neufchatel, which is like cream cheese but with a higher moisture content due to lower fat.  Don't be like me.  Use real cream cheese.  I cannot stress that enough. I had to chill the frosting for a lot longer than the 15 minutes the recipe calls for.  My frosting came out runny instead of creamy.  It still tasted fantastic though.

I opted to decorate my cake a little unconventionally with sugar pearls instead of frosting carrots.  This was a decision made partially because my frosting was too runny to hold a carrot shape... and also because I had the pearls and they are pretty and I never use them.

Print Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting recipies

• Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, for the pan
• 12 ounces, approximately 2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
• 12 ounces grated carrots, medium grate, approximately 6 medium
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/3 cups
• 2 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup firmly packed
• 3 large eggs
• 6 ounces plain yogurt
• 6 ounces vegetable oil
• Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Put the carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt.

With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

9 ounces powdered sugar, sifted, approximately 2 cups

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.

Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Yield: approximately 2 cups


Source: Alton Brown