Carrot cake expert needed

[marduke]

1 last post and I'm done.

I am looking for the "ultimate " carrot cake recipe. I have searched and have found....

from 2 to 4 cups of grated carrots in a standard recipe.

extras are...

raisins
coconut
buttermilk
walnuts
dates

Sould I be worried about using "4 cups" of grated carrots in one recipe?
Is there a difference between grating and shredding, as regards to the carrots (as in a different cake texture)?
Does anyone know of one recipe that includes "all" the ingredients listed above?
Did I miss any other ingredient I can add to a recipe?

Thanks for any help. This will be my weekend project.

[foodpump]

Thewre's a zillion carrot cake recipies out there so find a recipie you like, and slowly tweak it.

As carrots contain quite a bit of water you shouldn't start substituting or adding more unless you balance the other ingredients.

Buttermilk does provide a richer, silkier mouthfeel, but also is neccesary if the recipie calls for baking soda, as the soda needs something acidic to react with, baking pwdr doesn't need this.

One of my favorites contains pineapple chunks, it's nice.

[picook]

Originally Posted by marduke

1 last post and I'm done.

I am looking for the "ultimate " carrot cake recipe. I have searched and have found....

from 2 to 4 cups of grated carrots in a standard recipe.

extras are...

raisins
coconut
buttermilk
walnuts
dates

Sould I be worried about using "4 cups" of grated carrots in one recipe?
Is there a difference between grating and shredding, as regards to the carrots (as in a different cake texture)?
Does anyone know of one recipe that includes "all" the ingredients listed above?
Did I miss any other ingredient I can add to a recipe?

Thanks for any help. This will be my weekend project.

carrot cake:

400 g grated carrot
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup walnuts (broken)
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 table spoon baking powder
3/4 cup kanola oil
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon clove

1. heat the oven to 180 celsius.
2. mix the carrot, oil and eggs.
3. add all the ingredia=entes and mix well.
4. put in a pan (35*30 is the best)
5. bake for about 40-50 min.

enjoy...

Arie Amir

[Bhc]

The BEST carrot cake I ever had was one that I made from an old Bon Appetit recipe. In this recipe you sliced and boiled the carrots, then mashed them into glop. This yielded the most MOIST and carrot flavored cake. The carrots prepared this way offered up their sunny sweetness with no bitterness or that coppery taste you can sometimes get with older carrots.

I have the recipe at home which I can post later if anyone wants it. I don't believe it is on the Epicurious website but you can check to see if it has been added.

As I recall, the recipe included a lemon cream cheese icing which was th perfect foil for such a cake. As with all the recipes I make that are lemon flavored I always add a couple of drops (and yes, I mean DROPS) of lemon oil. YUM!

[Mannlicher]

Originally Posted by marduke

1 last post and I'm done.

I am looking for the "ultimate " carrot cake recipe. I have searched and have found....

from 2 to 4 cups of grated carrots in a standard recipe.

extras are...

raisins
coconut
buttermilk
walnuts
dates

Sould I be worried about using "4 cups" of grated carrots in one recipe?
Is there a difference between grating and shredding, as regards to the carrots (as in a different cake texture)?
Does anyone know of one recipe that includes "all" the ingredients listed above?
Did I miss any other ingredient I can add to a recipe?

Thanks for any help. This will be my weekend project.

I don't know about the expert part here, but I have been making this recipe for over 20 years, and its always been well received.

Two Layer

Blend in Mixer Bowl: cup Wesson oil, 1 1/3 cups sugar

Add in three eggs, on at a time, mixing well between additions

Sift Together, and Add:
1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/3 tsp each baking powder, baking soda
Pinch salt
1 1/3 tsp cinnamon, 1 1/3 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, 1 1/3 tsp Allspice

Add and then blend well:
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/3 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cup shredded carrots (1 pound)

Prepare two 9 inch cake pans, butter and flour them.

Divide batter evenly between pans. Weigh the pans to insure even amounts.

Bake 40 min at 350 degrees

Remove from oven, cool to room temp, turn out onto cake cooling racks. If necessary, level the top of one cake. This will be the bottom layer.

ICING:
Soften ½ pound cream cheese and one stick unsalted butter. ½ tsp vanilla. (Optional) ½ Tablespoon Bourbon. Blend well until smooth. Add in 2 cups 10X sugar, whip until smooth.

THREE LAYER VERSION:

1 ½ cups of Wesson oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg, Allspice
Tsp salt
½ cup each raisins, walnuts, use 2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ pounds grated carrot

Portion into three 9 inch pans

Icing, use two packages cream cheese, two sticks butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla
(Optional) one Tablespoon Bourbon.

[ChefRAZ]

the icing for the carrot cake we make have orange flavor in addition to the vanilla, tastes yummy.

[marduke]

Thanks everyone. The recipe I tried was a dud. It called for 4 cups of grated carrots and raisins soaked in boiling water. Was described as a "moist" cake. Cake was absolutely MUSHY. I baked it 10min over, it was a beautiful golden color and pulled away from the side of the pan. It never grew, total mush inside, biting into a soggy raisin was a disgusting feeling.

I had one slice, my son had one slice, then the rest ended up in the garbage. Back to square one.

[stir it up]

1) a modest amount of drained crushed pineapple, will give you nice moisture. Shouldn't be perceived as pineapple in the final product.

2) don't neglect the flavor quality of the carrots. I used to get them by the bushel at the farmer's market from a fantastic farmer. There is a HUGE taste difference between a chemically synthesized bag of carrots and a good carrot. Their fibrousness will also be softer.

3) don't do an all-oil carrot cake. Substitute a serious portion of the oil for a good unsalted butter. Never think of using unnamed oils like "vegetable oil", if you use some oil, make it a pure type of oil.

4) grate those carrots to the right consistency. Too coarse is unpleasant, too fine is too watery.

5) Don't make your cream cheese icing sickly sweet, and make one that will hold up with nice texture. I make one that draws its sweetness and texture only from a little melted white chocolate, melted VERY carefully at low temperature so it doesn't break temper, important or you won't get the right texture. Just the cream cheese, lemon juice, a tiny drop of pure lemon oil and/or orange oil (not essential) and the white chocolate, and a small amount of unsalted butter, NO sugar. There's a similar recipe in The Cake Bible (though use less butter than that recipe). Not that I like that book too much, but there are a couple neat things in there, that icing's one of them.

6) No raisins allowed.

7) get a little marzipan, orange and green food coloring, and make really tiny marzipan carrots. They're very easy to get great looking little carrots. Roll into little balls, then roll into cones. Then use a knife to indent the little ribs on the carrot, then poke a hole in the fat end and insert your "greens"


you asked for the Ultimate...

there are also other neat flourless carrot cakes that use ground almond, or tant pour tant.

[ChefRAZ]

another tip for mixing your cake : we whip the sugar and eggs with a whip attachment for 10 minutes so its light and airy. then switch to a paddle to incorporate the oil like a Mayonnaise. then incorporate the flour and pineapple, and carrots. 350 for 40 -50 minutes.

[lentil]

Originally Posted by ChefRAZ

another tip for mixing your cake : we whip the sugar and eggs with a whip attachment for 10 minutes so its light and airy. then switch to a paddle to incorporate the oil like a Mayonnaise. then incorporate the flour and pineapple, and carrots. 350 for 40 -50 minutes.

Since you mention whipping the butter and sugar, I've got a related question for you.

When making frosting, the person who does much of the baking in my shop softens the butter in the microwave rather than take it out of the fridge well before it's needed. It always gets too soft for me that way. Anyway, she then whips it until airy then adds the sugar and whips it again. Her frosting is always very light and airy. I think it's too whipped. It leaves bubbles on cakes when spread. Is this the right way to make frosting or should it be denser?