Carrot Cake Redemption

I couldn't let it go.  I made all those carrot cakes last week and they were all terrible and hideous.  However, I am not a quitter and it's just carrot cake, not rocket science.

I was flipping through my Williams-Sonoma Cake cookbook the other day and took the time to more closely read the recipe for Carrot Cake.  When I was on my quest to find recipes for the carrot cake comparison, I considered this one but the ingredients didn't look any different so I ignored it.

Upon closer examination, I realized that this recipe is totally different from all the others.  Instead of shredding carrots and mixing them into the batter, you cook the carrots, mash them up and mix that into the batter.  The process reminds me of pumpkin cake or even banana bread and I've always had great success with both of those.

I was intrigued and had to try it immediately.  It didn't have any big carrots on hand - which I usually prefer to use in baking - but I had some baby ones so I whipped these puppies up.

Why have I never thought of this before?  Why haven't I seen a million recipes like this?  Am I just missing them?

There's nothing else strange about the batter - it's got flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, brown sugar, milk and melted butter.  I like the idea of brown sugar in cake, particularly one that has spice to it.  I also am SO glad there's no oil in this cake.  The cake probably could have taken it, but after last time, I couldn't.  The original recipe also has walnuts and currants in it, but I wanted pure carrot cake, so I left them out.


First you boil the carrots, drain them and mash them in the food processor.  Next, stir together the eggs and sugar, add the milk and butter, then add the dry ingredients and finally the carrot puree.

To me, the batter looks exactly like pumpkin muffins, which it should because it's pretty much the same thing.

These look perfect - no sunken centers or oily residue on the bottom of the cupcake.  Thank God!

They taste great and are super moist.  I might cut back on the spice just a little bit - but only in the summer.  In the winter these would have the perfect amount of spice.  I would also ice them with maple cream cheese frosting.  Obviously. 





Since these were so successful, I'm sharing the recipe below.  I left out the walnuts and currants but you're welcome to add them back in if you want to. 

Carrot Cake
adapted from Williams-Sonoma
makes approx. 18 cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 lb Carrots
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1 1/3 cups Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup Currants (optional)
3/4 cup Walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions
Peel the carrots and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Place the carrots in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Cook for 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain and let cool.  Puree the carrots in a food processor.  You should have about 1 cup of carrot puree.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the cups of the cupcake tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick spray.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until well combined.  Whisk in the milk and melted butter.  Whisk in the dry ingredients and then the carrot puree.  Using a large rubber spatula, stir in the walnuts and currants (if using).

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until a tootpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ice cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting or your favorite cream cheese frosting.

You can also cook this in a 8" square pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy!
Julie