# Carrot cake expert needed



## marduke (Jun 13, 2008)

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 (Oct 10, 2005)

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 (Dec 1, 2007)

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 (Mar 9, 2007)

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 (Jan 8, 2006)

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.


----------



## chefraz (May 10, 2007)

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


----------



## marduke (Jun 13, 2008)

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 (Oct 15, 2007)

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.

:chef:


----------



## chefraz (May 10, 2007)

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 (Sep 8, 2003)

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?


----------



## baju (Jun 22, 2011)

I have had so so many people rave over this Carrot Cake.  I've won a blue ribbon at a bake contest/sale and when required to bring a goodie, I have always been asked to "please make your Carrot Cake" for us.

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 c. oil

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 c. sugar 2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 tsp. soda

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

8-1/2 oz. can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

3/4 c. nicely chopped pecans

2-1/2 c. GRATED carrots.

Preheat oven to 350*....sift flour, baking powder, soda and salt together.  Mix oil, sugar and eggs, beating on low to blend.  Add to dry ingredients, blending well.  Add carrots, pineapple, nuts and vanilla, blending well.  Pour into (3) 8" prepared cake pans.  Bake 35 - 40 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean.  Note:  If your spices are over 6 mos. old it is worth it to purchase new spices.  DO NOT CUT//SERVE this cake or at least 2 days.  Store in cake keeper in cool place til served.  Use a Cream Cheese Icing to finish. I PROMISE YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE.....moist moist moist and rich!!  C. York


----------



## kboutiche64 (Jul 20, 2011)

hi there , sorry to bother you , what is the measurement in grams and milimetre please ? thanks


----------



## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

kboutiche,

I'm pretty sure that unless someone can do the math in their head they would probably say you need to do it yourself.

Not trying to be rude at all.

Do a search for a conversion chart that is easy to work with. Some have automatic calculations. You just imput the lbs. and oz. and it will give you the conversion.

I have several stored in my favorates and desktop.

hth's

panini

Just my 2 cents. I'm not a big fan of putting the sugar,eggs and oil all in at once. I've had better sucess whipping the sugar and eggs so that the friction creates a little heat and the sugar starts to disolve. Then we add our oil slowly to mimick making mayonaise. We then blend in dry ingredients.  I definately would fold in your grated carrots.  If you use any type of mixing

equipment after the carrots are in you will bruise them and they will turn dark during the baking process.


----------



## mannlicher (Jan 8, 2006)

One thing I have found is that the large California carrots, those intended for juicing, make the best carrot cake.    I use the shredder disk and my Cuisinart FP to process the carrots.


----------



## cravin dessert (Mar 23, 2017)

This is a late addition to this post, but for the sake of future visits like me. 

Once you find a recipe you enjoy:

Adding more carrots than the recipe calls for will result in a heavy cake and it will rise and fall. Due to the liquid in the carrots it's best to reduce the amount of carrots when finely shredded. Lightly pack carrots into measuring cup. Add whatever ingredients you prefer (nuts, coconut, pineapple, raisins, etc.) not to exceed 1-1 1/2 cups.


----------

