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Prep time
1 hour 30 minutes
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Cook time
50 minutes
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Serves
10 to 12
Author Notes
This cake, which comes from Australian food stylist, magazine editor, and cookbook author Donna Hay is a peacekeeper between the two camps of carrot cake: those chockfull-o'stuff and those where the carrots are barely there. Here, the carrot is present in discernible flecks, neither intrusive nor invisible. The nuts contribute to—rather than disrupt from—the texture as a whole (to continue with our road image, the nuts are speed limit signs, not roadblocks). The cake is moist but not spineless; it's still got a crumb you'll need to chew. And there are no raisins.
I'd make this cake even if it necessitated standing at the counter with my box grater for 20 minutes, reducing each carrot to a little nub. But, perhaps the very best part of the recipe is that it does not, because the entire thing is made in the food processor, which happens to mix together the ingredients to just the right consistency.
The original recipe calls for "1 1/2 cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour." I used 225 grams (and, in my calculations that is closer to 2 cups than to 1 1/2 cups)—but Lauren Locke, our VP of sales, made the cake with 1 1/2 cups (and half the sugar!) with great success. —Sarah Jampel
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Ingredients
- For the cake:
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400 grams
carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
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120 grams
pecans or walnuts (1 cup)
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175 grams
brown sugar (1 cup)
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110 grams
granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
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225 grams
all-purpose flour (see headnote)
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1 teaspoon
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
baking soda
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2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon
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100 grams
vegetable oil (1/2 cup)
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70 grams
Greek yogurt (1/4 cup)
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2
eggs
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1
vanilla bean, seeds of
- For the frosting:
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250 grams
cream cheese, chopped and softened
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1/4 cup
(50 grams) fresh ricotta
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1/3 cup
(55 grams) confectioners' sugar
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1 tablespoon
lemon juice
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1/2
vanilla bean, seeds of
Directions
- For the cake:
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Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
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In a food processor, process the carrots and nuts until finely chopped.
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Add the rest of the ingredients and process, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until combined
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until just cooked when tested with a toothpick or wooden skewer.
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Allow to cool completely in the pan before turning out and frosting.
- For the frosting:
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Combine all the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.
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Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
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