Lizs Famous Carrot Cake Food

THE BEST CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly coat the paper with spray.
• Cover the raisins with very hot water and let sit until plump, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
• Toast the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, and then chop 1 cup of the pecans; reserve for the cake batter. Pulse the remaining 1/2 cup pecans in a food processor until very finely ground; reserve for garnish.
• Combine the carrots and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually stream in the oil. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the carrot mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in the raisins and chopped pecans with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake the cakes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioner' sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: When the cakes are completely cool, trim the domes of each cake round with a large serrated knife so the tops are flat. Place one cake, cut-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over top. Place the remaining cake, cut-side down, on top. Spread the top with another 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with another 1 1/2 cups frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling decoratively if desired. Sprinkle with the finely ground pecans.

LIZ'S FAMOUS CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 deg. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
• To make the cake:.
• Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachement.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Add the grated carrot, carrot puree, and coconut and mix until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the pans and bake until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Do not overcook. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• To make the icing:.
• Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together at medium speed the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl at lease once, until the mixture is smooth with no lumps, 1-2 minutes.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until light, fluffy, and well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
• To assemble, place 1 cake flat-side up, on a platter. spread part of the icing over the top of the cake. top with the second cake, flat-side up, and spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake.

THE PALM'S CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan with 3-inch sides.
• With electric mixer on slow speed, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• In a large measuring cup, whisk together the oil, eggs, and vanilla.
• Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and add the carrots.
• Mix on the slowest speed until evenly blended.
• The batter will be very thick.
• Fold in the raisins and pecans.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until the sides begin to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack to room temperature.
• While cake is baking, make frosting.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and superfine sugar vigorously with a wooden spoon until fluffy.
• Stir in the orange zest.
• Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan to release the sides and turn ouot onto your work surface.
• Slice the cake horizontally into three 1-inch layers using a long serrated bread knife.
• (Be sure cake is completely cool before you try to cut and frost it).
• Spread bottom cake layer with about 1/4 of the frosting, repeating for all layers.
• Spread remaining evenly over the sides.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours to firm the frosting.
• For the best flavor, allow to return to room temperature before serving.
• To serve, dust generously with confectioners sugar and cut into wedges.

CARROT LOAF CAKE WITH TANGY LEMON GLAZE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the center. Oil a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the two long sides. Oil the paper, too.
• Add the light brown sugar and eggs to a large bowl and whisk vigorously until pale in color, about 2 minutes. Add the oil, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Whisk until well combined and smooth.
• Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and whisk, starting slowly to incorporate the flour without spilling it, until well combined and smooth, switching to a rubber spatula if necessary. Fold in the grated carrots. The batter will be very thick.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any big air bubbles.
• Bake the cake until golden and puffed and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set on the rack over a baking sheet to cool completely.
• When the cake is cool, make the glaze: Finely zest the lemon into a medium bowl. Juice the lemon, and set aside lemon juice. Add the confectioners' sugar and finely grated carrot (if using) to the bowl with the zest, along with 4 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Add more lemon juice as needed to make a thick but pourable glaze. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for a few minutes before slicing. Store the cake well wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

MOM'S FAMOUS CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9X13 pan. Mix wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on rack 1-2 hours. This is a very dense cake.
• Frosting: Whip cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar and continue to whip until fluffy. When cake is cooled, frost cake.