carrot and coconut cake

Dorie Greenspan’s Carrot Cake

Makes one lovely 3 layer carrot-coconut cake.  I had leftover carrots from Easter and pulled this off the NY Times Cooking web site. 

            For the cake:

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. salt

3 c. grated carrots (about 9)

1 c. coarsely chopped pecans

1 c. shredded coconut

½ c. moist, plump raisins (or dried cranberries)

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

4 large eggs

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick (8 Tbs.) butter, room temperature

1 lb. (3¾ c.) powdered sugar

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

½ c. shredded coconut

toasted finely chopped nuts and/or toasted coconut, for topping (optional)

           

For the cake:  Position racks to divide oven into thirds and preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour three 9-inch round, 2”-deep cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.  If they fit, put two pans on one baking sheet and the third pan on a second sheet but don’t worry about this if you can’t fit them on the baking sheets. 

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.  In another bowl, stir together carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.

Working in mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or in large bowl with a whisk, beat sugar and oil together until smooth.  Add eggs one by one and continue to beat until batter is even smoother.  If working in a mixer, reduce speed to low, if working by hand switch to a large rubber spatula, and gently stir in the flour mixture – mix only until the dry ingredients disappear.  Just a gently, stir in the carrot mixture. 

Divide batter among baking pans and slide pans into oven.  Bake 40-50 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back at the midway point.  Test for doneness with a skewer; the cakes will also just start to come away from the edges.  Transfer pans to cooling racks, cool for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool to room temperature.  (At this point, the cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; thaw before frosting.)

For the frosting:  Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until frosting is velvety smooth.  Beat in lemon juice.

Scoop out about half the frosting and stir coconut into this portion.

To frost the cake, place one layer of the cake, right-side up, on a cardboard round or a cake plat.  Use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer.  Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth out the frosting all the way to the edge of the layer.  Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake top-side down.  Frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting.  Top with the last layer, right side up and use the plain frosting to cover the top.  Finish off with swirls of frosting.  If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle on these ingredients now, while the frosting is soft.  Slide the cake into the refrigerator for 15 minutes, just to set the frosting. 

Serving:  cake can be served as soon as frosting is set or it can sit at room temperature, covered with a cake keeper, overnight.  It will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.