Carrot cake

Seems like it's been mentioned a few times 'round here lately. Anyone want to recommend a recipe? I want to do a tray one, not a layered one.

TIA!!

 

Hey Balmer,

I've been looking at recipes as i'm attempting a lowfat one this weekend.....Other half begging for lowcal baking! (then sneaks off and gorges on chocolate )

Here's the classic one I use that never lets me down...


INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional. Could use raisin or pineapple chunks instead)
 
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Could use raisin or pineapple chunks instead

I always use crushed pineapple in mine! It makes it so moist and scrummy! 

I've made the Be-Ro one with good results, the orange icing is a nice alternative to cream cheese ones.

http://www.be-ro.com/recipe/showrec106.html

Orange Frosted Carrot Cake
12 squares    

225 g (8 oz) Be-Ro Self Raising Flour
1 x 2.5 ml spoon (½ tsp) ground mixed spice
150 g (5 oz) soft dark brown sugar
150 g (5 oz) carrots, peeled and grated
2 medium eggs
150 ml (¼ pint) corn or sunflower oil
2 x 15 ml spoon (2 tbsp) milk (I used semi-skimmed)

To finish:    
50 g (2 oz) butter
2 x 15 ml spoon (2 tbsp) orange juice
½ orange, grated rind only
225 g (8 oz) icing sugar

1    Heat oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base of an 28 x 18 cm (11 x 7 inch) oblong tin.
2    Place the flour and mixed spice in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Stir in sugar and carrots. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, oil and milk. Beat well with a wooden spoon until evenly blended.
3    Place in the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes. Turn out from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
4    Melt the butter, orange juice and rind in a saucepan, beat in the icing sugar until smooth. Swirl over the cake and cut into 12 squares.
 

I made this Carrot Cake this weekend and its the BEST EVER Carrot Cake that I have EVER EVER EVER Made. I even bought the carrots already shredded from Asda...made it so much easier! Its an Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Recipe. Fantastic. You can't get it wrong!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_104822,00.html

For the cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound carrots, grated
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
For the frosting:
3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

For the decoration:
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

For the cake:
Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light yellow. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.

For the frosting:
Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Place 1 layer, flat-side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with diced pineapple.

Thanks so much everyone!

Hey Balmer,

I've been looking at recipes as i'm attempting a lowfat one this weekend.....Other half begging for lowcal baking! (then sneaks off and gorges on chocolate )

Here's the classic one I use that never lets me down...


INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional. Could use raisin or pineapple chunks instead)
 
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

This turned out really well, thanks Stephanie!! I left out the nuts but added crushed pineapple and raisins. It also made 2 8x8 cakes (my 9x12 was being used for something else so I had to improvise).

The only problem I had was the frosting was too soft - like it always is when I use British cream cheese. But it's yummy nevertheless!!

Glad it turned out!  Im tackling the low cal version today with applesauce instead of oil..... I know it wont be as nice!

Actually, I ran out of oil (!) and only used a cup instead of 1-1/4. Turned out fine. Prob because I added pineapple though and that added moisture. I might have added more carrot, too. I didn't measure them, just eye-balled it!

All the carrot cake recipes seem to use so much sugar! Has anyone made it with less sugar and how did it turn out? I think I'm going to make one today.

Hey Britwife,

I made a lowfat one on Sunday with one cup sugar... most seem to ask for at least 1.5 -2 cups. However, I also put in pineapple in juice and applesauce - which to me is just another way of putting in sugar! Needless to say, the cake was very moist and you couldn't tell any reduction in sugar.

It's hard to tell with tasting cake batter what it's going to turn out once baked. IMO. I would be wary of going below 3/4 cup sugar...