Yesterday was my sweet Doomy One’s birthday. The tradition in my family is that the birthday person gets to pick dinner and what kind of cake they want; Doomy didn’t have a dinner preference but wanted one of my carrot cakes. I figured what the heck, time to test all the improvements and tweaks I’ve been making, all in one cake. This cake came out perfect, moist with a good crumb. Sweet but not too sweet. The frosting uses about half of the sugar most recipes call for and the hint of citrus plays nicely with the spices.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 1 stick (1/2C )of unsalted butter or substitute, softened
  • 1 C of vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs. or substitue
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 C white sugar
  • 3 C Grated Carrots
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
  • 1 Tbsp Hot Damn, or Fireball Whiskey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 C All Purpose Flour, or flour blend of choice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp Cardamom, ground
  • 3-4 tsp Cinnamon (I grind mine from sticks for this recipe 3-4 sticks)
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 8oz block cream cheese, softened
  • 3 drops of lemon extract (optional) or juice of half a lemon or lime
  • 2 C confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f and spray cake pans with oil.

In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until they get fluffy and lighten in color. Add the eggs in one at a time, letting them incorporate before adding the next one. Slowly add the oil, extracts, and liquor.

wpid-wp-1437507457459.jpeg

Then mix in the grated carrot and ginger

wpid-wp-1437507463711.jpeg

wpid-wp-1437507475070.jpeg

In another bowl (I use the one I grate the carrot into) whisk together all the dry ingredients until combined

wpid-wp-1437507492747.jpeg

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet slowly. About 1/3 at a time. Mix until just combined and divide between the prepared cake pans.

wpid-wp-1437507503306.jpeg

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool in pan for about 10 minutes then cool the rest of the way on racks.

While you are waiting for the cakes to cool it’s time to make the frosting.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until they start getting fluffy. Add the extract or juice slowly while mixing on a low setting.

Very slowly begin adding the confectioners sugar 1/2 C at a time and allow to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all the sugar is adding whip on high for 5 minutes. Frost the cake once it is fully cooled.

wpid-wp-1437543979279.jpeg

And a bonus shot of the birthday boy and I on our last date night.

wpid-img_20150705_022634.jpg