You might be tempted to add more carrots to this recipe. Don’t. They’ll know. This is a modified America’s Test Kitchen recipe from their cookbook The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.
Ingredients
Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups shredded carrots (4-5 carrots)
Frosting
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup buttermilk powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz cream cheese, chilled and cut into 12 equal pieces
2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped coarse
Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18×13 inch pan. Line with parchment paper and grease.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves together in large bowl.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in second bowl until mixture is smooth. Stir in carrots. Add flour mixture and fold until combined.
Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack without removing parchment, then invert onto second wire rack. Cool 30 minutes.
Frosting
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat all ingredients except cream cheese and pecans until smooth. Add cream cheese one piece at a time over the course of two minutes.
Frost cake, put pecan pieces on sides.
