Every home cook needs a tried and true recipe for a good old carrot cake. This is mine! Carrot cake with masccaarpone frosting, that is.
Even though carrot cake is one of my favorites, I struggled with a lot of recipes. Most are unbearably sweet, with frosting so saturated with sugar that every bite feels crunchy.. with flavor hidden so far beneath the sweetness that I may as well grab a lolly pop.
This recipe from an old issue of Fine Cooking magazine brought my carrot cake love to the next level. The layers are moist and flavorful, and the frosting is refreshing and light, actually bringing out the flavor of the cake!
Try it once, and I can guarantee you will not need to look for another carrot cake recipe again. 🙂
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE WITH MASCARPONE FROSTING
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
1.5 cups all-purpose flour (I use einkorn or spelt)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.25 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 medium carrots, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
FOR THE FROSTING
1 cup mascarpone, well chilled
1/2 cup farmers cheese (if grainy, squeeze through a medium sieve) – or use more mascarpone
1.5 cup heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
FOR THE GARNISH
1/3 cup toasted pecan pieces
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE
With rack in the middle, preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line a jellyroll pan (14.19″ x 9.25″ or 17.25″ x 12.25″) with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk 1.5 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a standup mixer fitter with a whisk attachment (or hand-held mixer), on medium speed beat 1.25 cups sugar and 10 tablespoons butter until smooth, 3 minutes or so. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Reduce speed to low, add shredded carrots.
Fold in the flour mixture. Add nuts.
Spread the batter on the jellyroll pan, smooth it out.
Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn the pan halfway through baking.
Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely in the pan.
MAKE THE FROSTING
In a standup mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all the frosting ingredients on medium speed until smooth, a minute or so.
Turn speed up to medium high, and beat until frosting holds stiff peaks, about a minute. Do not overbeat!
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half crosswise, then cut each haft again to get four equal rectangular pieces.
Place one piece, top side down, on a serving platter. You can tuck pieces of parchment paper on the sides to keep the platter clean from frosting.
Spread 1/2 cup of frosting over the layer.
Place the second layer, top side up. If the edges are uneven, apply slight pressure to even it, or trim with a serrated knife. Spread another 1/2 cup frosting.
Repeat with a third layer, top side up, and another 1/2 cup frosting. Top with the fourth layer, top side up.
Spread about 1.5 cups of frosting on the sides of the cake to seal in the crumbs. Don’t worry if there are crumbs in your frosting. Chill the cake in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
Refrigerate the carrot cake for at least 3 hours, and up to 12 hours.
Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour I use einkorn or spelt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoon butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 medium carrots coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted
FOR THE FROSTING
- 1 cup mascarpone well chilled
- 1/2 cup farmers cheese if grainy, squeeze through a medium sieve - or use more mascarpone
- 1.5 cup heavy cream not ultra-pasteurized
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- FOR THE GARNISH
- 1/3 cup toasted pecan pieces
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE
- With rack in the middle, preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Line a jellyroll pan (14.19" x 9.25" or 17.25" x 12.25") with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 1.5 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- In a standup mixer fitter with a whisk attachment (or hand-held mixer), on medium speed beat 1.25 cups sugar and 10 tablespoons butter until smooth, 3 minutes or so. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low, add shredded carrots.
- Fold in the flour mixture. Add nuts.
- Spread the batter on the jellyroll pan, smooth it out.
- Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn the pan halfway through baking.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely in the pan.
MAKE THE FROSTING
- In a standup mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all the frosting ingredients on medium speed until smooth, a minute or so.
- Turn speed up to medium high, and beat until frosting holds stiff peaks, about a minute. Do not overbeat!
ASSEMLE THE CAKE
- Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half crosswise, then cut each haft again to get four equal rectangular pieces.
- Place one piece, top side down, on a serving platter. You can tuck pieces of parchment paper on the sides to keep the platter clean from frosting.
- Spread 1/2 cup of frosting over the layer.
- Place the second layer, top side up. If the edges are uneven, apply slight pressure to even it, or trim with a serrated knife. Spread another 1/2 cup frosting.
- Repeat with a third layer, top side up, and another 1/2 cup frosting. Top with the fourth layer, top side up.
- Spread about 1.5 cups of frosting on the sides of the cake to seal in the crumbs. Don't worry if there are crumbs in your frosting. Chill the cake in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
- Refrigerate the carrot cake for at least 3 hours, and up to 12 hours.
Notes
- I like to add farmers cheese to the frosting because it lightens up the cake even more without compromising texture or taste, plus it's full of protein, which is never a bad thing to sneak into a kids' favorite 🙂 Farmers cheese is a standard ingredient in a lot of Russian desserts including creams.
2 comments
WOW! Your version of carrot cake looks gorgeous! I am surely gonna try it soon!
Is this cake sturdy?