Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

This cake is a classic with a slight twist, and it's named after the first chapter of one of my favorite novels: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Frosted with a basic, go-to cream cheese frosting, the cake is adorned with pecans that are roasted with the same warm spices found in the cake. Personally, my philosophy on decorations is that they should be simple, understated, and delicious in their own right.

Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

Act I: Spiced Pecans

   1 egg white
 0.5 tbsp water
 0.5 tsp salt
   2 cups pecan
   6 tbsp sugar
   1 tsp ground cinnamon
 0.5 tsp ground ginger
 0.5 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Whisk egg white, water, and salt in a large bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat. Let drain in a sieve for 5 minutes.

In another large bowl, mix sugar and spices together. Add drained pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure the pecans bake evenly. Let pecans cool completely, break them apart, and use to decorate the cake. You should have some leftovers to enjoy on their own.

Act II: Carrot Cake

2.75 cups all-purpose flour

 1.5 tsp baking powder

 1.5 tsp baking soda 

   1 tsp salt

   3 tsp ground cinnamon

 1.5 tsp ground ginger*

 .75 tsp ground cardamom*

   1 cup vanilla yogurt

 0.5 cups vegetable oil

   2 cups sugar

   4 large eggs

  

   3 cups grated carrot, from about 5-6 medium carrots*

 1.5 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted

   1 recipe spiced pecans for decoration

Butter and flour three 9x2 inch cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl. Add the grated carrots, and mix to coat them in the flour. Add in the chopped pecans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yogurt, oil, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until combined and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter between the three cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool them on a wire rack completely, about 40 minutes, before frosting.

Act III: Cream Cheese Frosting

   1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened 0.5 cup butter, room temperature
0.25 tsp salt
   1 tsp vanilla
   4 cups confectioner's sugar
 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and salt for 3 to 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined, light, and fluffy. Add two cups of the confectioner's sugar along with the vanilla and beat to combine. Finally, add the remaining two cups of confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. If the frosting is a little loose, you may need to add as much as 0.5 cups more of confectioner's sugar, but 4 cups usually gets it to a spreadable consistency.

To frost the cake, place a small amount of frosting on a cake plate or in the middle of a cake carrier. This will help keep the bottom layer from moving too much. Invert one layer of carrot cake and center it on the plate or carrier. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over this layer, spreading almost to the edge and ensuring that the layer is even. Top with the second layer, inverted to have a flatter surface to work with. Spread with 1 cup of frosting. Top with the final layer.

Frost the top and sides of the cake. For a smoother look, clean off your offset spatula, place under hot running water, wipe off, and run it lightly over the frosted cake. The residual heat will smooth the frosting. Decorate with the spiced pecans.

Notes:

• Ginger and cardamom combine well with cinnamon to give this cake a light, yet warm, spicyness. Being mildly exotic, cardamom adds an, "ooh this is tasty but I can't quite tell what this flavor is," quality to the cake. For a more straightforward approach to carrot cake, simply omit them and you will still be left with a very tasty cake.
• The carrots I used this most recent time were incredibly large, organic carrots. It took only 3 to make three cups.

Up Next Week:

• Cinnamon Cupcakes with Biscoff frosting