12 to 15 servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
2 and 1/2 cups All-purpose flour or cake flour
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon All spice
4 sticks Unsalted butter (Room temp)
4 Large eggs (Room temp)
1/2 cup Vegetable or canola oil
2 cups matchstick carrots
12 ounces crushed pineapple
8 ounces cream cheese (Cold and Room temp)
2 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
5 teaspoons vanilla extract (2 teaspoons for the cake and 3 teaspoons for the frostings)
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon orange gel paste of liquid food coloring
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon green gel paste of liquid food coloring
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Tools you’ll need
Two 9-inch round cake pans
13 by 9-inch baking pan (Roasting walnuts)
Baker’s joy non-stick baking spray
2 Disposable piping bags with tip cut off
Wilton #5 tip
Offset spatula
Preparation of ingredients
Dry ingredients (All-purpose flour or cake flour)
Step 1- Sift, 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a medium sized bowl. Stir all ingredients together and set aside.
Preparing and roasting the walnuts
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Step 2- Chop 2 and 1/2 cups walnuts on a chopping board using a knife. Place the walnuts into a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Shake baking pan to make things even.
Step 3- Place into a preheated 400-degree oven on the middle rack, bake for 5 to 8 minutes. Once the roasting time has ended remove the walnuts from oven. Let cool completely.
Cake batter
Step 4- Add 4 large eggs (Room temp), 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar into stand mixer bowl or regular bowl. Mix on high speed for 2 minutes with a hand or stand mixer. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Important note- You can continue to mix the ingredients together with a mixer but don’t use your mixer when mixing the carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts.
Step 5- Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter and 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil. Mix with a whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you are using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
Step 6- Add dry ingredients (All-purpose or cake flour mixture) into the batter 2 separate times. Mix with a whisk each time for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until combined. If you are using a hand or stand mixer, mix on a medium speed each time for 15 to 20 seconds or until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 7- Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 12 ounces (1 and 1/3 cups) crushed pineapple, 4.7 ounces (2 cups) matchstick carrots, and 3.8 ounces (1 cup) chopped walnuts. Fold ingredients into the batter using a spatula. Scrape down sides of bowl. Do not mix with a hand or stand mixer.
Baking the cake
Preheat oven to 325-degrees.
Step 8- Spray two 9-inch round baking pans with the Baker’s joy non-stick baking spray. Add prepared carrot cake into the baking pans as evenly as possible. Shake the baking pans to make the batter more even.
Step 9- Place into a preheated 325-degree oven on a middle rack for 35 minutes. After the baking time has ended, remove the cake pans from the oven. Toothpick inserted into each cake layer should come out clean. Let the cakes cool for 3 hours before removing them from the pans.
Cake layers
Step 10- Trim off the domed top off of each cake layer with a knife. Use a long-serrated knife to cut the top off of the cake layers.
Cream cheese frosting
Step 11- Add 2 sticks unsalted butter (Softened and at room temp), and 8-ounces cream cheese (cold) into stand mixer bowl or regular bowl. Mix on high speed with a hand or stand mixer for 1 minute. Add 2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Mix on high speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute using the hand or stand mixer. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Step 12- Add 2 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix on high speed for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Buttercream frosting
Step 13- Add 1 stick unsalted butter (Softened and at room temp), and 1 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar into stand mixer bowl or regular bowl. Mix on a high speed for 1 minute. Frosting will be thick at this time. Add 2 teaspoons whole milk (Room temp) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Coloring the buttercream frosting
Step 14- Divide the frosting into two separate bowls. Add 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon orange gel paste or liquid food coloring into one bowl and 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon green gel paste of liquid food coloring into a separate bowl. Mix with spatula or whisk until combined.
Piping bags
Step 15- Add a coupler into a disposable piping bag with the tip cut off. Add the bag into a large cup. This will be for the orange buttercream frosting. Add a coupler into a separate disposable piping bag with the tip cut off. Place the Wilton #5 tip onto the coupler and screw the coupler in place with a coupler nut. Add the bag into a separate large cup. This will be for the green buttercream frosting.
Walnuts
Step 16- Add chopped walnuts into a small food processor. Pulse 5 to 6 times.
Assembling the cake
Step 17- Spread a small amount of the cream cheese frosting on top of a cake pad. This will prevent the cake from moving. Place the first cake layer upside down on top of the cake pad and press down slightly. Add 1 and 1/2 cups cream cheese frosting on top of the bottom layer of cake. Spread the frosting around the cake layer as evenly as possible with an offset spatula.
Step 18- Place the second layer of cake on top and press down slightly with your hands. Spread a small amount of the cream cheese frosting on to the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula. This is called the crumb coat. It prevents cake crumbs from appearing on the final layer of frosting on the cake. Once the crumb coat is applied, place the cake into the fridge or freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 19- Remove the cake from the fridge. Add the rest of the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake. Spread the frosting around the top of the cake as evenly as possible with an offset spatula. As the frosting is spread around the top of the cake, it will begin to free fall down the sides of the cake. Take an offset spatula and spread the cream cheese frosting around the sides of the cake. Next glide the offset spatula onto the top and sides of the cake to straighten it out.
Step 20- To smooth out the frosting, heat an offset spatula under an open fire on your stove for 5 to 10 seconds or until the spatula is warm. From there glide the offset spatula on the top and sides of the cake.
Decorating the cake
Step 21- Add the cake pad with the cake on it into a large 16-inch diameter pizza pan or an 11 by 17-inch baking pan. Take finely chopped walnuts in handfuls and coat the sides of the cake. Brush the walnuts left over on the cake pad into the pizza pan using a pastry brush. Take the left over finely chopped walnuts in handfuls from the pizza pan and continue to add the chopped walnuts onto the side of the cake until the entire side of the cake is coated with the chopped walnuts. Brush off any excess chopped walnuts from the cake pad back into the pizza pan. You will have some leftover chopped walnuts. That is normal.
Step 22- Add 8 indentation lines toward the edge of the cake using an offset spatula. This will be where the decorative carrots will be placed.
Step 23- Pipe the orange frosting on the 8 indentation lines you made on the top of the cake starting 1/2 or 1 inch away from the edge of the cake toward the center of the cake. Leave 1 inch of room from the center of the cake to where the decorative carrots are.
Step 24- Take the green buttercream frosting (Wilton #5 tip) Pipe a line on both sides of the end of each carrot going toward the edge of the cake. Once done, fill in those lines with straight lines of the green buttercream frosting until the entire section is filled. From there the carrot cake is assembled and ready to be served.
Quick tips- The cake can be served right away. For storage place the cake into a cake serving container and place into the fridge and keep it in the fridge at all times. To serve the cake, take the cake out of the fridge and let it come to room temp for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Make sure you cut the cake with a serrated knife as a it makes for a cleaner cut of cake.
YouTube instructional video
