Ever since the early 1980s when I first discovered carrot cake, I’ve been intrigued by the many iterations the little sweetie assumes. I thought about it again recently and dug out my carrot cake “file” filled with recipes shared by friends, neighbors, and chefs — no two were alike!
During my baking “research,” I found that the only ingredients in common in all of my carrot cake recipes were these: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, nuts, raisins and, of course, carrots. Most cakes use oil for shortening, some use butter, and one recipe in my file uses coconut oil. Reduced-fat recipes substitute yogurt, applesauce, low-fat buttermilk, and egg whites for the shortening, but almost every recipe tops the cake with cream cheese frosting, full-fat or reduced.
Cinnamon is common in most, but spices like ginger, cloves, allspice, or nutmeg are also suggested. In addition to raisins, the favorite being golden, you can add candied ginger, dried cranberries, coconut, or crushed pineapple. Even the way it’s baked — in two layers, three layers, in a springform, a bundt, or sheet pan — is open to question. A conundrum indeed!
So how did this popular? According to food historians, modern carrot cake probably descended from carrot puddings popular in Europe during the Middle Ages when sugar and other sweeteners were difficult to find and expensive to buy. In the United States, a cinnamon-spiced carrot tea cake was reportedly served at Fraunces Tavern in New York City — some say to George Washington on the occasion of British Evacuation Day in 1783 — and in the 1890s, a recipe for carrot pudding appeared in Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking School Cookbook, one of the most popular American cookbooks ever published. Here are a few of my favorites!
CLASSIC CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING
Serves 24
This is my first carrot cake. It’s among the simplest of all and frosted in the pan.
For the cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with no-stick baking spray.
2. In large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In another large bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until blended. Fold in the carrots and nuts. Transfer to the prepared pan
4. Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely in pan.
For the icing
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until creamy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add confectioners’ sugar; mix again for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fully incorporated and smooth. With an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly over cake; refrigerate until frosting is firm and then cut cake into 4 rows lengthwise by 6 rows across.
RUSTIC CARROT CAKE
Serves 10 to 12
This recipe for a one-layer cake adds nutmeg, cloves and orange zest; buttermilk lets you reduce the amount of oil.
For the cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (packed) shredded carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with no-stick baking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
3. In another large bowl, beat the orange zest and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add eggs; beat on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until thick, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly drizzle into sugar mixture; beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until incorporated. Fold in the flour mixture; fold in carrots, raisins, and nuts. Transfer to prepared pan.
4. Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes, rotating pan after 30 minutes to ensure even baking. Cake is done when edges have just begun to pull away from sides of pan and a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely in pan before removing the side of the pan.
For the icing
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl; add confectioners’ sugar. Mix again for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fully incorporated and smooth. With an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly over cake; refrigerate until frosting is firm and then cut into slices.
GLORIOUS CARROT CAKE
Serves 24
If you’ve ever had a “glorious morning” or “morning glory” muffin, you’ll love this fruit flavored cake. Perfect for breakfast or brunch, skip the cream cheese icing and dust it with confectioners’ sugar. This is a big cake, so use a pan with at least 2-inch sides.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup canola oil
3 1/2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with no-stick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together theflour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
3. In another large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. With the beater running, drizzle in oil and beat until blended.
4. Stir in carrots, pecans, coconut, pineapple, cranberries, raisins and ginger. Transfer to the prepared pan.
5. Bake the cake or 45 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely in pan. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before cutting 4 rows lengthwise by 6 rows across.
Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page alternates with “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” For further details on her work, or to order a signed cookbook, visit irishcook.com
