Carrot Cake Recipes

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Spiced Walnut Carrot Cake with Pineapple

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups grated carrot
* 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
* 1 cup chopped pineapple, fresh or canned
* 1 cup golden raisins
* 1 cup shredded coconut
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the carrots, walnuts, pineapple, raisins, and coconut with 1/2 cup of the flour to coat them and keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake batter.

Sift together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer with a whip attachment, mix the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (the "ribbon" stage) then drizzle in the vegetable oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and pour over the carrot mixture. Fold carefully to blend, then pour the batter into a buttered, floured 10 by 3-inch cake pan containing a circle of parchment paper in the bottom. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a rack and then turn out. Dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into wedges to serve.

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Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Frosting:

* 4 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine
* 1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Carrot Cake:

* 2 cups sugar, granulated
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground clove
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 cups canola oil
* 4 eggs
* 3 1/2 cups carrots, grated
* 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and butter on high until smooth. Then add confectioners' sugar. Continue to beat on high until the lumps have all dissolve. Finally, beat in vanilla extract and lemon juice on low speed until the frosting is completely mixed.
Carrot Cake:

In a large mixing bowl combine, sugar, flour, salt, spices, and baking soda. Add oil to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add eggs; beat in one at a time.

Once the batter is properly mixed, stir in carrots and walnuts. Pour the cake batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 60 to 70 minutes or until golden brown.

Once cake has cooled, frost and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top as a garnish.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

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Spring Celebration Carrot Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

* 1 1/2 cups grated fresh carrots (about 2 large)
* 1 cup walnut pieces
* 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (see Cooks Note)
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
* 4 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
* 2 (4-ounce) jars pureed carrot baby food

Icing:

* 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (1 pound), at room temperature
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple

For the cake:

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) square cake pans, line them with buttered parchment paper, and dust with flour.

Toss the carrots, walnuts and 1/2 cup pineapple with 1/2 cup of the flour in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.

In another large bowl beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and light, about 5 minutes. While continuing to beat the eggs slowly, gradually add the oil, and then the pureed carrot.

Scatter the dry ingredients over the wet and then gently fold them together to make a loose batter. Gently fold the nuts, carrots, and pineapple into the batter. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes until firm to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a rack for 25 minutes. Turn cakes out of pans and cool completely on the rack.
For the icing:

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl, with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Sift the sugar over the cream cheese, and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate to set slightly for about 20 minutes.

To assemble the cake, place a cake layer on a cake stand, plate, or cake board. Spread about half of the icing over top, but leave the sides bare. Sprinkle icing with about half of the pineapple. Top with a second cake layer, and repeat with remaining icing and pineapple. Serve.

Cook's Note: You will need about 1/2 a fresh medium pineapple, trimmed, cored, and finely chopped for the whole cake and frosting.