Carrot Layer Cake | My Year Cooking with Chris Kimball

I’ve by no means actually appreciated carrot cake, so that is my final recipe from the Could/June subject of cook dinner’s illustrated. carrot cake all the time appeared dense and unbalanced to me, that carrot heavy all the time meant heavy and plump cake. fortunately in the present day’s recipe is completely balanced with simply the correct amount of carrot. the cake makes use of a layering method to help the burden of the moist carrot, it is as if it defies gravity. Lastly, a really lovable carrot cake. It additionally seems to be like a murals. 4 stars.

however the cake shouldn’t be with out its issues. the skinny cake ripped after I took it out of the pan, and the parchment paper made thinner rounded corners that prevented me from orienting the items to my liking.

feedback/points:

1. I am glad all 4 layers cook dinner collectively as one large piece. it is a lot simpler than attempting to make 4 separate layers.
2. There was an issue flipping the carrot cake. the cake broke as a result of it was skinny (and subsequently brittle) and I haven’t got a cooling rack that is as large as my baking sheet. I used to be in a position to reassemble the damaged components and use them as interlayers. went effectively.
3. thick batter won’t unfold evenly, so the cake is assured to be uneven. chris kimball’s suggestion of simply layering to even out the ultimate cake would solely work if in case you have an ideal rectangle. however parchment paper means you will have skinny, rounded corners. my cake solely matches in a selected approach; inconsistently.
4. I’d counsel chopping the nuts smaller than my chunks. it would give a barely extra refined look.
5. chris kimball cautions in opposition to utilizing liquid buttermilk as a substitute of powdered buttermilk within the frosting. clearly one is liquid and the opposite is powder.

ranking: 4 stars. value: $11. ($5 of which was nuts) how a lot work? half. how large is the mess? half. begin time 3:00 p.m. prepared at 5:00 pm.

Chris Kimball’s unique recipe is right here. my descriptions of how I put together it in the present day are given beneath:

Cake elements: 1-3/4 cups (8-3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1-1/2 teaspoons floor cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon floor nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon floor cloves 1-1/4 cups gentle brown sugar (8-3/4 ounces) 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3 massive eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2-2/3 cups grated carrots (4 carrots; about 10 ounces) 2/3 cups dried currants (about 3 ounces)

1. Place a rack in the midst of your oven and preheat to 350 levels. Grease an 18″ x 13″ rimmed baking sheet, line it with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper as effectively. take away two sticks of unsalted butter from the fridge to melt if you find yourself able to make the frosting.
2. Mash 4 carrots on the massive holes of a field grater or with the shucking disc and your meals processor. you should definitely use the small spherical feeding tube (the small gap contained in the full-size oval tube).
3. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. combine till simply mixed.
4. In one other massive bowl add sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. use a whisk to mix till easy. Gently stir within the carrots and currants with a rubber spatula till evenly distributed. lastly, add the flour combination and blend with your rubber spatula, however solely till simply mixed.
5. Pour the dough onto a baking sheet. use an offset spatula to easy the floor and make sure the batter is a good depth. bake about quarter-hour, turning midway by, till middle is agency to the touch.
6. Let cake cool 5 minutes in pan on wire rack. invert cake onto a wire rack, then instantly invert once more onto a second wire rack. the cake ought to relaxation parchment aspect down. let the cake cool for one more half-hour.

elements for frosting: 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks) 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (12 ounces) 1/3 cup powdered buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 ounces cream cheese (1-1/2 packages) 2 cups pecans (8 ounces)

1. Whereas the cake is cooking, toast the walnuts and lower them into massive items. lower cream cheese into 12 equal-sized items, however preserve refrigerated till prepared to make use of in step 3.
2. Add the butter, sugar, buttermilk powder, vanilla extract, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. combine utilizing the paddle attachment on low pace for two minutes; scrape down the bowl as wanted.
3. improve mixer pace to medium-low, then add cream cheese, one piece at a time. combine for two minutes till frosting is easy.

to complete:

1. Place cooled pie on chopping board and lower into equal halves crosswise. lower lengthwise so you may have 4 equal items, measuring about 6″x8″ every.
2. Lower out a 6″x8″ rectangle of stiff cardboard. Put the highest of the cake piece on the cardboard. use a spatula to unfold 2/3 cup frosting over layer. repeat with two extra layers.
3. Place the final layer of cake on prime. take away crumbs from spatula and canopy prime with 1 cup frosting.
4. frost sides of cake with remaining frosting. You solely want sufficient glaze to comprise the chopped nuts, to not fully conceal all of the crumbs.
5. holding the cake in a single hand, use the opposite hand to softly press the chopped walnuts onto the aspect of the cake. refrigerate at the very least 1 hour earlier than serving.

This entry was posted on Thursday, Could 31, 2012 at 7:42 am and is filed underneath 2012 recipe, bread, desserts. You possibly can observe any responses to this entry by the rss 2.0 feed. you may go away a reply or trackback from your individual web site.