the only carrot cake you will ever make again.

First off, I apologize that I only have this really horrible picture to post up here.  I made this and only had time to take a picture on my iPhone (it was already 6 months late) and I didn’t even think about it until I was packaging an extra slice up for a coworker.  I promised my team lead at work that I would make her a carrot cake for her birthday.  That was in October.  I delivered the cake at the end of March.  I got this recipe from Ann Hodgman’s “Beat This” Cookbook.  It is my absolute favorite.  I have never made something from that book that was not amazing, carrot cake included. For whatever reason, the book is no longer in print but you can still buy it on Amazon.com.  Honestly, I don’t even like carrot cake.  Who wants carrots and cake? It defeats the purpose if you ask me.  But this cake was so incredibly delicious, I think I ate at least 1/4 of it, in addition to the the enormous amounts of batter, filling and frosting I shoved into my my face while making it.  Please try this, I guarantee, you will not be disappointed.

pecan cream filling.
*make this one day ahead of time

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. A day before the cake is made, blend sugar, flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
2. Gradually stir in the cream.
3. Add the butter
4. Cook and stir the mixture over low heat until the butter has melted.
5. Let simmer 20-30 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally*
6. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
7. Stir in the pecans and vanilla.
8. Refrigerate overnight
9. Bring to room temperature before using.

*The recipe says occasionally but it was moreso, stir constantly and you can take a break occasionally.  It clumped together on the bottom and sides if I let it sit without stirring.

carrot cake.
1 1/4 cups corn oil
2 cups sugar (preferably superfine)*
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
4 cups grated carrots (about 1 pound)**
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Generously butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn oil and the sugar
4. In another bowl , sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
5. Sift half the dry ingredients into the oil-sugar, mixture and blend well.
6. Sift the rest of the dry ingredients into the mixture.
7. Add eggs one at a time, blending each before adding the next.
8. Add carrots and pecans, mix until incorporated. 
9. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan; bake for 70 minutes, or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
10. Cool upright, in the pan on a cooling rack.

**I would highly highly highly recommend a food processor for grating the carrots.  I didn’t have one.  Needless to say, my night was spent grating carrots with a hand grater watching American Idol.

icing.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 1-pound box (or bag) of confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese until well blended and fluffy.
2. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar; cream again.
3. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
4. If the icing is too soft to spread, chill it for a few minutes.  Refrigerate it if you don’t plan to use it right away, but bring it back to room temperature before using.

assembling the cake.

1. Run a spatula around the inside of the tube pan to loosen the cake.
2. Invert the cake onto a serving plate.  With a long serrated knife, carefully split the cake into 3 horizontal layers*.
3. Spread the pecan filling between the layers**.
4. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

*I was scared when I saw this step, but that is because I’m a novice.  It was actually not that bad.  I would just recommend waiting until the cake is completely cool...maybe a few hours.  I put small cuts around the first layer and then just connected them with my knife, pulled that layer off, set aside and then did the same with the next layer.  The layers are actually heavy and I didn’t let it cool completely so it was really hot inside when I pulled the layers away.
** Again, another reason to let the cake cool completely.  When I put the cake together, the filling sort of melted and then squished out the sides when I added the second layer and it did it even worse when I put the top on.  It all came together in the end but it would have been much better had I been patient and let the cake cool.  Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue.