Isabelle’s Carrot Cake
Cooling 3 h 30 min
Ingredients · Servings 16
- 2 1/2 cups (375 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (160 g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (160 g) brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups (330 g) carrots, grated
- 1 cup (250 ml) crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) roasted pecans, chopped
- 1 cup (90 g) unsweetened grated coconut
- 1 1/2 blocks (375 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 5 1/4 cups (685 g) icing sugar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla
- Edible flower petals (optional)
Method · 1 h 50 min
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the sides of two 8-inch (20 cm) springform pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- In another bowl, combine the oil, sugar, brown sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the carrots, pineapple, pecans and coconut. Mix well. Stir in the dry ingredients. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, about 3 hours.
- In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. With the machine running on low speed, gradually stir in the icing sugar and vanilla. Whisk for 5 minutes or until the frosting is pale, creamy and forms stiff peaks.
- Run a thin blade between the sides of the pans and the cakes to unmould. Cut off the rounded top of each cake to make them as flat as possible. Cut each cake in half horizontally to have a total of 4 cake layers.
- On a serving dish, place one cake layer. Top with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the frosting. Repeat this process with two more cake layers. Top with the last cake layer without frosting. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting, smoothing it out with an offset spatula. This will help to hold in the cake crumbs. Refrigerate the cake and remaining frosting for 30 minutes.
- Cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting, smoothing it out with an offset spatula. Decorate the cake with flower petals. The cake will keep for 3 days, covered, at room temperature.
Freezes Yes
This carrot cake recipe is Isabelle's favourite version. Its crumb, with a comforting spicy aroma, is soft with just the right amount of moisture. The secret? Adding crushed pineapple to the batter, whose juices help retain moisture while adding a slight acidity that helps to brighten up the flavours. Then, mix in pecans and coconut for a crunchy texture. For an indulgent final touch, spread on some rich cream cheese icing.
