Carrot and Pecan Cake
1 ½ cups pecan pieces (walnut may be substituted) Neutral oil for pans
1 pound carrots (about 5 large), peeled and coarsely grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup buttermilk, at room
temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated
fresh ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 ½ teaspoons ground
cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal
kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 4 large eggs, at room
temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup packed dark-brown
sugar
1 cup neutral oil (such as
vegetable or grapeseed) Classic creamcheese
frosting (recipe follows)
Instructions: Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter the pecans on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake on the lower rack, shaking halfway through, until nuts are deep golden brown and very fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by lightly brushing bottoms and sides with oil and line bottoms with parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring together the carrots, buttermilk, fresh ginger and vanilla. Set aside. Place about 2⁄ pecans in
3 resealable plastic bag and use rolling pin to crush into smaller pieces. Set aside. Place remaining 1⁄ of nuts in same bag
3 and beat thoroughly with rolling pin to finely crush nuts into a coarse meal. Transfer to amedium bowl.
To the medium bowl with nut meal, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ground ginger and cloves and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and granulated and brown sugars. Beat first on medium-low to break up the eggs, then increase to medium-high and beat until the mixture falls off the whisk and back into the bowl in a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 4minutes.
With the mixer on mediumhigh, very slowly stream in the oil until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.
Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. Add about 1⁄ of the flour mixture
3 and mix on low speed until flour has almost disappeared. Scrape in half of the carrot mixture, mixing well until incorporated, then add the remaining flour in 2 additions, alternating with the remaining carrot mixture. When the last traces of flour disappear, stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and fold the batter several times to make sure it’s evenly mixed. Then fold in the pecan pieces.
Divide the batter among the three prepared cake pans. Transfer pans to the oven, placing two on the upper rack and one on the lower (stagger pans so the pan below doesn’t have another directly above it). Bake until cakes are springy to the touch in the center and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, switching and rotating pans front to back after 20 minutes.
Remove the cakes fromthe oven and let cool completely in the pans. Use a small offset spatula or paring knife to cut around the sides. Transfer to a wire rack and peel off the parchment paper. Reinvert to another rack, cutting board or plate.
Stack and frost the cake.
Place a single cake layer upside down on a cake round, serving plate or cake stand. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 1 cup of the frosting across the surface. Place another upside-down layer on top, centering it and pressing gently to level, then repeat with another 1 cup frosting. Place the third layer upside down on top and press gently. Cover the top and sides of the entire cake with another 1 ½ cups frosting in a very thin, even layer for a crumb coat. Refrigerate until frosting has hardened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then cover entire cake with a generous layer of frosting. Refrigerate until frosting is set, 10 to 15 minutes.
CLASSIC CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 sticks unsalted butter, at
room temperature
1 pound full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature Generous pinch of kosher salt 1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 ½ cups), sifted if lumpy
Seeds scraped from1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions: In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese onmedium-high, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the mixture is completely smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the salt and all of the powdered sugar, and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel (to shield you frompowdered sugar). Pulse the mixer on low several times to incorporate the sugar, then remove the towel and beat frosting on medium-high, scraping down the sides once or twice, until frosting is light, thick and very smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. The frosting is now ready to use. Makes about 4 ½ cups frosting.
Makes one 8-inch cake