Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese-Lemon Zest Frosting

Serves: 3

Irwin Berge

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

57

Spice

46

Sweetness

41

Sourness

37

mins

Prep time (avg)

5

Difficulty

Ingredients:

2 tsps

Baking Soda

1 tsp

Salt

Directions:

1

Preheat the oven to 350°F

2

Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper (to ensure that the cake will not stick), or place liners in 2 muffin pans for 24 cupcakes

3

Set aside

4

Place the dried coconut in a cup of warm water to soften and set it aside for 15 minutes

5

Place the carrots in a food processor and pulse on and off for 1 minute

6

Then add the pineapple and pulse until the carrots are cut into very small pieces and the pineapple is pureed, 1 to 2 minutes

7

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients

8

Add the brown sugar and use a whisk to break up any lumps

9

Drain the coconut and place it in a medium bowl

10

Add the oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and carrot-pineapple mixture, and whisk to combine

11

Add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing with a rubber spatula to incorporate but not overmix

12

When the batter is almost mixed, stir in the additions, if using

13

Pour the batter into the prepared pans

14

Bake for 55 minutes, or until the tops are a very golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean

15

(It may look as if the cake is too well done, but it takes a while to bake because it's so dense

16

) For cupcakes, the baking time is 35 to 40 minutes

17

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes

18

Then invert them onto a wire rack and let them cool completely

19

Fill and frost the cake with the Cream Cheese-Lemon Zest Frosting (for added oomph, add 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger to the frosting)

20

Preheat the oven to 350°F

21

Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper (to ensure that the cake will not stick), or place liners in 2 muffin pans for 24 cupcakes

22

Set aside

23

Place the dried coconut in a cup of warm water to soften and set it aside for 15 minutes

24

Place the carrots in a food processor and pulse on and off for 1 minute

25

Then add the pineapple and pulse until the carrots are cut into very small pieces and the pineapple is pureed, 1 to 2 minutes

26

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients

27

Add the brown sugar and use a whisk to break up any lumps

28

Drain the coconut and place it in a medium bowl

29

Add the oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and carrot-pineapple mixture, and whisk to combine

30

Add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing with a rubber spatula to incorporate but not overmix

31

When the batter is almost mixed, stir in the additions, if using

32

Pour the batter into the prepared pans

33

Bake for 55 minutes, or until the tops are a very golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean

34

(It may look as if the cake is too well done, but it takes a while to bake because it's so dense

35

) For cupcakes, the baking time is 35 to 40 minutes

36

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes

37

Then invert them onto a wire rack and let them cool completely

38

Fill and frost the cake with the Cream Cheese-Lemon Zest Frosting (for added oomph, add 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger to the frosting)

39

To decorate Fill and frost the cake with cream cheese frosting and let chill

40

Tint 1/2 cup frosting lemon yellow, and use the 10 tip to pipe 5 dots in a circle to create simple buttercup flowers

41

Then combine any remaining yellow frosting with some additional cream cheese frosting and tint it leaf green

42

I use tip #67, which pipes small fern stems

43

Pipe the center stamen with cream cheese frosting and chill to set

44

Fill and frost the cake with cream cheese frosting and let chill

45

Tint 1/2 cup frosting lemon yellow, and use the 10 tip to pipe 5 dots in a circle to create simple buttercup flowers

46

Then combine any remaining yellow frosting with some additional cream cheese frosting and tint it leaf green

47

I use tip #67, which pipes small fern stems

48

Pipe the center stamen with cream cheese frosting and chill to set