Carrot Cake: Snacking Cake #3

Snacking Cake #3 - I'll be posting snacking cakes regularly. They'll be ranging in flavors, but the main goal is to keep them as one layer for me (and you) to enjoy during the week.

For this week, I made a Carrot Snacking Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Walnuts.

We were gifted a huge bag of carrots, so I’m making my way through them with some baked goods. I got a ton of suggestions for muffins, other cakes, and some savory dishes, too!

EQUIPMENT

Box grater

9-inch cake pan

Bowls

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar

• 1/2 cup (120ml) neutral oil

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger

• 1 1/2 cups (150g) grated carrots

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Frosting

• 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candied Walnuts

• 1 cup (120g) walnuts

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon water

METHOD

Make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Prepare your cake pan with parchment paper.

3. Add walnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in oven for about 7 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

5. Grate your carrots into the bowl and mix together. Let the carrots soften in the mixture.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add in the toasted walnuts.

7. Pour the dry into the wet ingredients and mix together.

8. Add the cake batter to your prepared cake pan and slam on counter a few times to knock out any air bubbles.

9. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester/toothpick comes out clean in the center.

Make the candied walnuts

1. Add the sugar, butter, salt, and water into a ban. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts and becomes a light caramel (3-4 minutes).

2. Take off the heat and add the walnuts and stir to combine.

3. Transfer the walnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading them out so they don’t clump together. Let cool completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

2. Add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.

3. Mix together until light and fluffy.

Prepare your cake

1. Remove the cake from the cake pan onto your cake stand.

2. Add the cream cheese frosting to your liking.

3. Top the cake with the candied walnuts.

4. Enjoy!