Birthday Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting And Cointreau Carrots Food

CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Coat three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper; coat the parchment with more cooking spray. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop 1 1/2 cups walnuts and finely chop 1 1/2 cups. Set aside the finely chopped nuts for topping.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the vegetable oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. With the mixer on medium-low speed, beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk, until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Gently fold in the carrots, raisins and roughly chopped walnuts with a rubber spatula.
• Divide the batter among the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 20 minutes in the pans. Remove the cakes from the pans, remove the parchment and let cool completely on the racks.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat the butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Place one cake layer on a platter or cake stand and spread 1 cup frosting on top. Add another cake layer, spread with another 1 cup frosting and then add the last cake layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting (this is the crumb coat). Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting, then carefully press the finely chopped walnuts into the sides.

OLD-FASHIONED CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat into egg mixture. Stir in carrots., Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in another large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired spreading consistency. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting for decorating if desired. If desired, stir walnuts into remaining frosting. , Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. If decorating the cake, tint 1/4 cup reserved frosting orange and 1/4 cup green. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with orange frosting. Pipe twelve carrots on top of cake, so each slice will have a carrot. Using #67 leaf pastry tip and the green frosting, pipe a leaf at the top of each carrot. , Store cake in the refrigerator.