RESIDENT RECIPE Divine Carrot Spice Cake BY EMILY WEINSTEIN Yield: 8 to 12 servings FOR THE CAKE • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 2 teaspoons baking soda • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • ¾ teaspoon salt • 3 cups grated carrots (you can grate the carrots in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade) • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans • 1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened • ½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries • 2 cups sugar • 1 cup canola or safflower oil • 4 large eggs FOR THE FROSTING • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1 pound (3¾ cups) confectioners’ sugar • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract • ½ cup shredded coconut, optional • Toasted finely chopped nuts and/or toasted coconut, for topping, optional 32 April 2024 PREPARATION 1 / For the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess. 2 / Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins. 3 / Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a whisk, beat the sugar and oil together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. If you are working in a mixer, reduce the speed to low, if you’re working by hand switch to a large rubber spatula, and gently stir in the flour mixture — mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. Just as gently, stir in the chunky ingredients. 4 / Divide the batter among the baking pans and slide the pans into the oven. Bake the cakes for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cakes are properly baked when a knife inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean; the cakes will just start to come away from the edges. Transfer the pans to cooling racks, cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature. 5 / For the frosting: Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until the frosting
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