Prize Winning Carrot Cake Recipe

April 08, 2023 Post a Comment

Blue Ribbon Kitchen PrizeWinning Carrot Cake Eating Your Vegetables. from blueribbonkitchen.blogspot.com

Ingredients

This recipe is for a classic, moist carrot cake with a delicious cream cheese frosting. To make it, you’ll need:

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups finely grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
For the cream cheese frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Making the carrot cake is easy. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan, and set it aside.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set this aside for later.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Finally, stir in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Finally, mix in the vanilla extract.

Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.

Nutrition

This recipe makes 12 servings. Each serving contains approximately:

486 calories
24.3 grams of fat
62.3 grams of carbohydrates
3.8 grams of protein
1.8 grams of fiber

Tips for the Perfect Carrot Cake

For the moistest carrot cake, use freshly grated carrots. If you must use pre-grated carrots, make sure to use a fine grater. You don’t want big chunks of carrots in your cake.

For a more flavorful cake, use freshly grated nutmeg and ground ginger. Pre-ground spices tend to lose their flavor over time.

If you want an extra nutty flavor, try using toasted walnuts. To toast the walnuts, preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until they are lightly toasted. Let them cool before adding them to the batter.

For even more flavor, add a teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest to the batter.

To make a lighter, fluffier cake, separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter just before baking.

Finally, don’t forget to let the cake cool before frosting. If you try to frost a warm cake, the frosting will melt and you’ll end up with a mess.

Conclusion

This classic carrot cake recipe is sure to be a hit at any gathering. It’s moist, flavorful, and easy to make. And the cream cheese frosting is the perfect finish. With this recipe, you can’t go wrong!