There was an overwhelming response on Facebook to the Pumpkin Carrot Cake post from last week! It really was an excellent cake and one that I thought I would surely be making EVERY holiday from here on out. (Thanks Ben Starr!!) However, among the praise (from those who were fortunate enough to actually eat it in my office) and thank-you’s (for finding and sharing the recipe) were some emails expressing some serious dismay. People were intimidated. Whether because of the lengthiness of the recipe, the 5 layers, making the meringue or because of Ben’s 32 hour long tutorial—they were intimidated. I honestly thought that it would help to add the link but it did NOT! So I was upset because I wanted to share it with the world but it is no good if folks can’t recreate it themselves. It reminded me of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Ms. Badu, “…what good do your words do if they can’t understand you…” The only alternative was for me to bake the cake for you all and that ain’t happening so you know what I did? I devoted my Sunday to coming up with a simplified version of the cake -One that would mimic the flavor and moistness of Ben’s cake but did so without making it difficult or too involved.
I don’t know how I did it, but this cake is Goooood! It is actually denser than Ben’s but does so while being incredibly moist. I kept his spice proportions and of course the candied nuts and came out WINNING!! It’s easy, breezy and delightful! I sent half this cake to my hubby’s job and someone wants a lesson in making it and the other wants to pay me to make it for them. Another person even went as far as to say that it was BETTER than the other (Ben’s) cake! *dusts dirt off shoulder*
I’ve divided the recipe into an order that seems pretty logical for me and I hope it helps you to be organized and prepared. Please feel free to email, text, Facebook or comment below with questions! I’m yours!! And I even put together this little pictorial to assist you along the way.
Yield: 3 layer cake
Dry ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ginger
1 Tablespoon ground cardamom
1/4 tsp (heavy pinch) nutmeg
1/4 tsp (heavy pinch) allspice
1/4 tsp (heavy pinch) cloves
Wet ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I use KerryGold!!)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (white sugar)
1/2 packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 cups carrots, grated (I popped them in the food processor this time and got carrot “bits”)
Frosting Ingredients:
2 packages cream cheese
2 sticks butter, softened
6 -8 cups powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and stiff you like the frosting- I used 6 cups just by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off by shaking and eyeballing. You don’t have to be exact here, it is clearly a matter of taste).
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I actually used ½ tsp of ground vanilla beans because it was all I had)
Candied Spice Pecans Ingredients:
(Recipe courtesy of Ben Starr)
2 cups brown sugar
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 teaspoons water
2 cups chopped pecans
Directions for cake:
- Prepare three 8” or 9” round layer cake pans by lightly greasing them with oil.
- Dust each pan with flour and tap out excess. This will ensure your cakes release from the pan with ease.
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- In a medium bowl, lightly whisk your dry ingredients together.
- Sift them and set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars for about 5 minutes on medium speed or until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down sides and bottom every minute or so.
- The mixture will start to look puffy and full on the sides of the bowl and then you will know it is ready.
- With mixer still running, beat in one egg at a time.
- Scrape down sides then add vanilla, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on med speed until incorporated.
- Turn mixer down to low and beginning and ending with flour, alternate adding flour and milk to batter. (1/3 of the flour mixture then ½ cup milk, 1/3 flour mixture, ½ cup milk and ending with last 1/3 of flour mixture). Scrape down sides.
- Fold in carrots on low speed.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Lift pans about 6 inches from counter and drop about 5 times to release any air that may cause bubbles in your cake.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs.
- Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. YES, PUT THE PANS IN THE FREEZER!!! (This keeps the cake moist by immediately stopping the baking so the cake does not continue to bake when you remove it form the oven.)
- Remove from freezer, drag a butter knife around the sides of the layers and invert onto wire racks to remove from tins.
Directions for the frosting:
- Cream together cheese and butter with a hand or stand mixer on high speed until it’s light and fluffy.
- Cut mixer to low and begin adding powdered sugar. Continue adding sugar in small batches and mixing thoroughly until the frosting reaches the desired sweetness level. The more sugar you add, the stiffer the frosting will be. Loose frosting is easier to work with but stiffer frosting holds the cake together better. I would go with stiffer! Once sugar is incorporated, cut mixer up to medium to make sure fully incorporated.
- Cut mixer to low and add vanilla.
- Beat on low speed until the vanilla begins to get mixed in, then beat on the highest speed possible for 2 minutes to ensure a light and fluffy frosting.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembling the cake:
- Cover a 8 to 10 inch cake round with aluminum foil.
- Take your thickest layer to be the bottom/base of the cake.
- Spread a thick layer of frosting on top, moving out to the outside leaving a ½ inch border around cake layer.
- Top with 2nd layer and repeat.
- Then apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Pop back in the freezer to harden the crumb coat for about 10-15 minutes. (If you have a lazy Susan, it makes it a lot easier but not necessary)
- Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Directions for Candied Spiced Nuts:
- Spread out a piece of parchment/waxed paper or foil onto a countertop and butter it generously (Or use a buttered silicone pad/silpat, which is the preferable method).
- Combine all ingredients with the exception of the nuts in the pan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
- Once the mixture is at a full rolling boil, continue stirring and boiling for 3 minutes until the mixture is deep brown and fragrant. (If you have a candy thermometer, you’re shooting for 325F)
- Add pecans, stirring to make sure they are all well coated.
- Remove from heat and pour the nuts onto the oiled wax paper.
- Let them cool completely before the next step.
- Pull the candied nuts off the paper and place them in a zip-top bag.
- Pound them with a rolling pin or wine bottle to break them up, then roll over them back and forth until they are well pulverized, but not powdered.
Decorating Cake:
- With your hand, gently lay the nuts up against the side of the cake making sure to keep them on the sides only.
- Fill in spots you may have missed.
- Once finished, you can move the cake to your serving platter or cake stand and proceed to trim bottom with pecan halves or additional pecan pieces. This will give it a more polished look but isn’t necessary.
- If not serving immediately, place in the refrigerator to firm up a little.
- Be careful of leaving it in there too long, as the fridge is a moisture zapper.
- Store in a covered, air-tight container.
