American carrot cake
American carrot cake has moist, spiced layers with carrots, nuts and raisins, covered in cream-cheese frosting. Finely grate the carrots and cool the cakes completely before frosting.
Additional 3 h — cooling and chilling
How to make it
Prepared 0 of 6 steps
Prepare the additions
Heat the oven to 175 °C and line two 20 cm tins with parchment. Peel and finely grate carrots without squeezing. Chop 90 g nuts and reserve the rest for topping. Rinse and thoroughly dry raisins.
Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt without leaving soda lumps. Separately beat eggs and sugar for 2–3 minutes, then gradually mix in vegetable oil.
Mix the dough
Fold dry ingredients into the egg mixture just until smooth. Add carrot, the chopped 90 g nuts and raisins. The batter will be thick and moist; do not thin with water.
Bake the cake layers
Divide equally between tins and bake for 35–45 minutes, until a skewer comes out without raw batter. Rest for 15 minutes, remove from tins and cool completely on a rack for at least 1 hour.
Make the frosting
Beat softened butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy, then add vanilla. Briefly mix in cream cheese at a similar cool temperature until smooth. Prolonged beating of warm cheese makes the frosting runny.
Assemble and chill
Use some frosting between the cakes and cover the top and sides with the rest. Chop remaining 30 g nuts and sprinkle on top. Chill for 2 hours. Do not add pineapple, coconut, decorative raw carrot or berries.
Little hint
Finely grate the carrot; long, coarse strands do not distribute well through the tender crumb. Frost only fully cooled cakes, otherwise butter melts and the layers slide.
Frequently asked questions
What should I watch out for when cooking?
Finely grate the carrot; long, coarse strands do not distribute well through the tender crumb. Frost only fully cooled cakes, otherwise butter melts and the layers slide.
How should I prepare the ingredients?
Heat the oven to 175 °C and line two 20 cm tins with parchment. Peel and finely grate carrots without squeezing. Chop 90 g nuts and reserve the rest for topping. Rinse and thoroughly dry raisins.
