The (in)Famous Frosted Carrot Cake

CARROT CAKE + CURRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Carrot-Cake

My famous curry cream cheese frosting. Or infamous, depending on who you ask.

My family rolls their eyes. One of my friends licks it straight off her arms while helping me frost cupcakes. I have the photos to prove it. Except she’d kill me if I shared them. And you still want the recipe, right? 😉

Some people love it. Some people don’t get it. I hope you love it!

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Carrot cake is one of the first types of cakes I ever baked. It’s also one of my family’s favorite cake flavors.

Unfortunately many bakeries and restaurants sell dry carrot cake.  And the dryness can’t be hidden by the super sweet frosting that doesn’t even taste like cream cheese.  It makes me sad.

What makes me happy is this super moist carrot cake full of crushed walnuts and golden raisins topped with a creamy frosting that gets just a touch of warmth from the curry.

It’s like a hug for your tastebuds.

And just look at that glorious cascade.

Carrot cake collage
Haven’t convinced you about the curry cream cheese frosting? The cake still tastes amazing with either plain cream cheese frosting or my special maple version.

Bonus points if you make all three varieties!

Super bonus if you top them with these cute carrot shavings reminiscent of activism ribbons.

Carrot cake with activism ribbon decoration

I first made these decorations a few years ago because I thought they were pretty and it was an easy shape to bend carrots.  But they’re especially fitting if you’re in Australia celebrating Harmony Day, Tibet promoting human rights or in the U.S. supporting one of many different causes.

 

 

 


Carrot cake with curry cream cheese frosting
CARROT CAKE + CURRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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Author:

Recipe Type: Dessert

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

While it’s packed with walnuts and raisins, you might just fall in love with this carrot cake for its curry cream cheese frosting.  It’s just sweet enough and because it uses neufchâtel cheese and yogurt instead of butter, it’s a low fat favorite!

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Cake Ingredients
 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 applesauce
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup roughly chopped golden raisins

Frosting Ingredients
 
6 oz. neufchâtel or low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
8 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.
  3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla extract.  Beat thoroughly with a fork and then fold in dry ingredients with a spatula.
  4. Fold in crushed walnuts, raisins and carrots.
  5. Grease two 8-inch circular pans with vegetable shortening.
  6. Divide the batter between the two pans.
  7. Bake on the center oven rack for 25 to 27 minutes.
  8. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes.
  9. Run a butter knife alongside the cake edges and invert the layers onto the cooling rack.  (If you placed wax paper on the bottom of the pans, remove it now.  It should peel off easily.)
  10. Let the cakes cool for 45 to 60 minutes before frosting.
  11. To make the frosting, combine yogurt and room temperature neufchâtel or low fat cream cheese with an electric beater until smooth.
  12. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and curry powder.  Beat on low for a few seconds to combine.
  13. Add powdered sugar in single tablespoon increments while beating on medium speed.  Increase to high once half the sugar has been added.
  14. Chill for at least 30 minutes before frosting the cake.
  15. Cut into slices and serve.

Pairs Well With

black-tea     Block_Coconut_Gelato     Block_Ice_Cream      Block_Roasted_Pineapple

Hints

* If you cover the bottom of the pan with wax paper, the cakes slides right out.  Just trace the pan bottom on wax paper and cut it out.  Place the wax paper circle in the greased pan then grease and lightly flour the wax paper.

* If you don’t have whole wheat flour or golden raisins, no worries.  All-purpose flour and dark raisins work perfectly fine.

* Short on time?  Instead of waiting for the neufchâtel to reach room temperature, microwave it at 20% power until softened.  You can also forgo chopping the raisins.  I just like a nice rough chop for more even distribution throughout the cake but it doesn’t make a huge difference.

* To make a stiffer frosting, double the powdered sugar.  The extra sugar makes the texture closer to a traditional frosting but I prefer the lower sugar version.

* To recreate the cake photographed above, use a circular cookie cutter to make small layers.  Frost and stack three of the layers.  To achieve more structure decoration-wise, partially freeze carrot shavings before wrapping them around the cake.  Top with crushed walnuts.

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