Last week I found a stockpile of carrots in the vegetable bin of my fridge. Before setting to work slicing and dicing, staining my cutting board, dulling my knife, and tearing up my uncalloused hands, I paused and, for once, used my brain.
Ingreadient :
Softened butter, for the pan
1 lb. carrots
2 1/4 cups (295 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon (7 g) salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (315 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 1/4 cups (264 g) vegetable or grapeseed oil
8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, cold
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2/3 cup (140 g) heavy cream
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Direction :
Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13-inch heavy-duty metal cake pan or two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper for easy removal.
In a food processor, using the shredder attachment, shred the carrots.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Add the grated carrots and toss to coat. Add the beaten eggs and oil, and stir with a spatula until evenly mixed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared 9×13-inch pan or divide the batter among the two 8-inch pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 – 50 minutes for the 9×13-inch pan, about 30 minutes for the round pans. Let cool on a rack to room temperature.
If you baked round pans, halve each one crosswise to make 4 round layers total.
To make the frosting: Beat the cold cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the heavy cream, a pinch of salt, and the vanilla. Beat again until light and fluffy.
If using a 9×13-inch pan: Scrape the frosting onto the center of the cake. With an offset spatula, if you have one, spread the frosting evenly over the surface.
If using round pans: Set one layer on a plate or cake platter. Top with one quarter (roughly) of the frosting, spreading to cover. Top with another layer of cake and repeat this frosting-spreading-layering process until each layer of cake has a nice layer of frosting.