March 26, 2013

24 Carat Cake

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Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

The last two years, I've shared pictures and directions for making a bunny cake.  This cake is a cherished Easter tradition at my house.  This year, I thought I'd share the recipe for the Easter cake I made before I had kids. Just like the bunny cake, this recipe also came from a high school home ec class.  Unlike the bunny cake which starts with a cake mix, this cake is made from scratch.

If you haven't already guessed, the blog title is a play on words for the best carrot cake I've ever eaten.  It's different from most carrot cake recipes I've seen.  One, it doesn't use pineapple.  Two, it uses brown sugar instead of white.  Three, instead of being flavored only with cinnamon, it also uses nutmeg and cloves.  Speaking of spices, check your spices ahead of time to make sure they're good.  If they have little or no aroma, throw them out and buy new ones.  If you can't smell them, you won't be able to taste them either.

Before you start mixing anything, do the chopping, grating, sifting and measuring.  Once you've done all this, making the cake is, well, a piece of cake!

Finely chop some of the walnuts and coarsely chop the rest.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Grate the carrots.  This is fast and easy to do if you have a food processor. If you're like me and don't have one, grate the carrots by hand, making sure you don't grate them into long strips.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Sift some flour and then measure out three cups.  Sift the flour again with the baking powder and salt.  Sifting removes any lumps, helps blend ingredients and incorporates air which makes the ingredients lighter.

Measure the remaining ingredients.  Unlike white sugar which is spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off, brown sugar needs to be packed into the measuring cup.  When it's removed, the brown sugar will retain the shape of the cup.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Once all the prep work is done, it only takes a few minutes to mix up the cake batter.  Use a mixer to combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil and spices. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stir in the carrots and coarsely chopped walnuts.

Grease three 9-inch round cake pans.  Instead of flouring the pans, divide the finely chopped walnuts between the three pans.  The walnuts take the place of the flour and add some texture to the layers.  It will also play a role when it comes time to assemble and frost the cake.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans.  I use a large cookie scoop to put equal amounts of batter in each pan.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.  If you bake all three pans at the same time, rotate them once to ensure even baking.  Take the pans out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Margaret's Morsels | Carrot Cake

Since this post is so long, I'm going to split it up into two parts.  Check back later this week for directions on assembling, frosting and decorating this 24 carat cake.

Carrot Cake
10 to 12 Servings

1 1/2 cups walnuts, divided
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
3 Tbsp. milk
3 cups grated carrots

Coarsely chop 1 cup walnuts; set aside.  Finely chop the remaining walnuts.  Grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans.  Coat each pan with approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons of the finely chopped walnuts.

Combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil and spices in a large bowl; beat with a mixer until combined.  Resift the flour with baking powder and salt.  Add half the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating until combined.  Add the milk all at once, beating until combined.  Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until combined.  Stir in the carrots and remaining walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans.  Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.  Cool pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.


© Margaret's Morsels

17 comments:

  1. Margaret, Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes. I love your title, it is so fitting. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.

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    1. Thanks, Joanne! I'm glad you liked the play on words in the title! This is the cake I made for my son's first birthday. It's about the only way I can get him to eat carrots anymore!

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  2. Margaret, Carrot cake is on of my favorite cakes. The title is fitting for this cake. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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  3. Oh man does this ever sound delicious! :)

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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    1. Thanks, Jess! It is the best carrot cake I've ever eaten. It's still the only carrot cake recipe I've seen that uses brown sugar instead of white. Thanks for hosting the party!

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  4. Wow this carrot cake looks so pretty and delicious.
    Thanks for sharing at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

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    1. Thanks, Julie! It tastes even better than it looks! Thanks for hosting the party. I hope you have a great week.

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  5. Looks delicious :o) Carrot cake is one of my all time favs! X

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    1. Thanks Tracey! This is the best carrot cake I've ever eaten. I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think! Thanks for writing.

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  6. Carrot cake has always been one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing with the Tips and Tricks Link Party :)

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    1. Thanks for the opportunity to share the recipe at your party, Cassie! I hope you have a good week.

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  7. What a pretty cake - and your recipe sounds delicious too! Thank you for sharing it with us at The Hearth and Soul Hop. Hope to 'see' you again this week!

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    1. Thanks, April! Thanks for hosting the party. I hope you have fun in Vancouver!

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  8. Your Carat Cake looks delicious, we will just love it! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again soon!
    Miz Helen

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    1. Thanks, Miz Helen! Thanks for hosting the party every week and giving bloggers a chance to share their creations. I hope you have a good week!

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  9. Truely this is yummy. My family members loved it very much, So I make it again and again

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  10. Hey Admin, I like your post, and the way you present all these things is amazing. For making cakes and cookies, i share wonderful Cake Making Tools Online. Thank You!

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