Carrot Cake Recipe

I must begin this post with a correction: Previously I said I had baked a carrot cake using Alton Brown's recipe from his book, "I'm Just Here For More Food". But when I consulted his book, there were several versions of carrot cake profiled, critiqued, and analyzed with the scientific rigor that Alton is famous for.  None of them looked all that familiar.  Where on earth did I get that recipe? I was especially anxious to find it, not only because I wanted to write about it here, but because I plan to cook that cake again for my birthday later this month. Yes, it was that good.

I pulled out my personal recipe book, and found it. It was Alton's recipe, but it was the one from his Food TV Show "Good Eats", which I had printed out from the Food TV website.   The resulting cake was indeed extremely good eats, and fortunately the recipe was less complex than the one in his book.

CARROT CAKE RECIPE

Unsalted butter, for the pan
12 ounces, (or about 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour), plus more for the pan
12 ounces grated carrots, medium grate, (about 6 medium carrots)
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, (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 ounces dark brown sugar, (about 1/4 cup firmly packed)
3 large eggs
6 ounces plain yogurt
6 ounces vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting, (recipe follows)

Directions: Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

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

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.  (NOTE: I relied on the toothpick test--inserting a wooden toothpick and seeing that it came out dry.)

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.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE:

8 ounces cream cheese
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 ounces powdered sugar, sifted, about 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 four batches and beat until smooth between each addition.

Place the frosting in the refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Yield: about 2 cups frosting.
***

If you have been reading my blog lately, you'll know that I ran out of both carrots and brown sugar while making this cake, (a truly Rookie error), but it was worth the aggravation and painfully learned lesson to assemble my ingredients and tools before starting to cook.  This cake was absolutely delicious, and I have been anticipating making it again soon.

A note to all you other Alton Brown fans out there: His web site is getting a make-over. Take a peek--it looks promising!

 

Comments

[Joe]

Hey Andrea!

This carrot cake recipe looks very good! I've yet to make one that we really like, so we will have to add this to the to-try list!

[Amy]

I love carrot cake and I love AB!

[Tania]

Oh, that looks good! Carrot cake (with cream cheese icing, of course) is my very favourite of cakes. I've never tried Alton's version; thanks for sharing his recipe!