Carrot Cake
When you round the curve on Black Hawk Road in hilly Carroll County, you will see it on the left. In four-foot letters the name “Cox” is spelled out in boxwoods. About twenty years ago Mr. Cox started cutting his hedges into all manner of fanciful shapes. He has had a life-size cowboy wearing a Stetson and riding a horse, an alligator, a bird in a cage, and an elephant two times life-size. One of my favorites is a rabbit eating a carrot. Mr. Cox kind of has the temperament of Mr. McGregor in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. He has even snipped a self-portrait out of his hedgerow. It looks just like him, with a long beard and a farmer’s straw hat perched on his head. I love to go out and visit with him. He is a spirited old gent and he lets you know pretty quickly if he is in the mood for company or not. If I bring him a carrot cake, he seems more amiable.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 (9-inch) layer cake
Ingredients
Cake
Cream Cheese Icing
Preparation
Make the Cake
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 9 x 1 1/2-inch round cake pans with butter. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Butter and lightly flour the paper and the sides of the pans.
Step 2
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into a large bowl.
Step 3
In a medium bowl, combine the carrot puree, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Step 4
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and granulated and brown sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the carrot mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
Step 5
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean and the surface springs back when gently pressed with a finger. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes to loosen. Turn the cakes out and let cool completely, paper side down.
Make the Icing
Step 6
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese, butter, orange zest and juice, vanilla, and cinnamon. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.
Step 7
Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Spread with some of the icing. Place a second cake layer on the first and spread with icing. Place the last cake layer on top and spread the remaining icing over the top and down the sides of the cake.
Notes
Step 8
To puree carrots, bring sliced carrots and a little water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the carrots are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Puree in a food processor or mash. Four medium carrots (1 1/2 cups sliced) will yield about 1 cup puree. Alternatively, you can use carrot baby food, but it’s more expensive.
Step 9
To plump up dried raisins, heat the raisins with 1/2 cup orange juice until the juice begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool. Drain the raisins before adding to the cake.
