Carrot Cake

Even something so simple as a carrot cake can become a very elegant and festive dessert when someone like the White House Executive Pastry Chef shows us how he decorates it. The frosting is delicious and the cake is moist and fruity because he adds mandarine oranges to the batter. Try it yourself and tell me what you think.


Carrot Cake:
3 cups light brown sugar, packed (16 oz, 454 g)
1 1/2 cups veg. oil (10.75 oz, 305 g)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flower 12 oz, 340 g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (.25 oz, 10 g)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (5 g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (5.5 oz, 155 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (.25 oz, 5 g)
2 cups grated carrots (7 oz, 200 g)
2 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges drained ( 312 g)
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (4.75 oz, 132 g)

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature (8oz, 227 g)
1/4 pound unsalted butter(1 stick ), room temperature (113 g)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar,sifted (2 oz, 60 g)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Cake

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms wit parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar and oil until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (this didn't work out when I tried it).

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in half of the dry mixture just to combine.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Beat in the remaining half of the dry mixture, just to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a spatula, fold in the carrots, 1 cup (8 oz, 225 g) of the mandarin oranges, and 1 cup (3.75 oz, 105 g) of the walnuts. Scrape the batter into the cake pans, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the layers comes out clean.

Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10  minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack, peeling off the parchment rounds, to cool completely.

For The Icing

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until no lumps remain, about 5 minutes.

Add the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and vanilla and beat until the sugar is completely absorbed and the icing thickens, another 5 minutes.

To Assemble

When the cake has completely cooled, spread the top of one layer with 1/3 of the cream cheese icing. Scatter the remaining mandarin oranges over the icing.

Sandwich the remaining cake layer and frost the top and sides. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts in a circle around the top of the cake.