Carrot cake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 175°C, brush to taste unsalted butter over two 20 cm round pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Carrot cake is very moist and sticks to the bottom easily without parchment. The pans are ready when the butter coats the sides and the parchment lies flat on the bottom.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Spread 100 g walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them at 170°C for about 7 to 9 minutes, then let them cool and chop them coarsely. Toasting brings out their aroma and keeps them crunchier inside the moist crumb. The walnuts are ready when they smell clearly toasty and their papery skins have darkened slightly.

   Bake at 170°C for about 7 to 9 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Peel 300 g carrots and grate them on the small holes of a grater. Fine shreds of carrot melt into the crumb, keeping it moist without leaving chewy strands. The carrots are ready when they're fine, soft shreds that feel slightly wet.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Sift 260 g all-purpose flour, 5 g baking powder, 5 g baking soda, 6 g ground cinnamon, a pinch ground nutmeg and 3 g salt together into a bowl. Sifting them together spreads the spices and leaveners evenly, so no bite tastes bitter. The mixture is ready when it's an even pale beige.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Whisk 200 g eggs with 200 g brown sugar and 100 g granulated sugar for about a minute, then slowly pour in 220 g vegetable oil and 5 g vanilla extract while still whisking. Pouring the oil slowly helps the mixture emulsify, so no oil pools at the bottom of the cake. The mixture is ready when it's thick and smooth, a light caramel color, with no oil separating.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, fold until the flour just disappears, then add the carrots, walnuts and 60 g raisins and fold a few more times. Stopping early keeps the crumb tender rather than tough. The batter is ready when it's thick, the carrots and nuts are evenly distributed and there are no white streaks of flour.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, smooth the tops and bake at 175°C for about 30 to 35 minutes. Set side by side on the middle rack, the two pans bake evenly. The cakes are done when the tops are golden brown, spring back when pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

   Bake at 175°C for about 30 to 35 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Leave the cakes in the pans for about ten minutes, then turn them out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and let them cool completely, about an hour. Moist cake layers must be fully cool before they're firm enough to frost. They're ready when the undersides no longer feel warm.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Beat 100 g soft unsalted butter until smooth, add 300 g cold cream cheese and beat just until blended, then add 240 g powdered sugar, 3 g orange zest and 3 g vanilla extract. Cold cream cheese and a short beating keep the frosting thick instead of runny. The frosting is ready when it's smooth, thick and holds its shape on the beater.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Place the first layer on a plate, spread on about a third of the frosting, top with the second layer, then cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting, sprinkle with more walnuts and refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes. Chilling sets the frosting and helps the layers hold together. The cake is just right when it cuts into neat slices with a straight middle layer of frosting that doesn't squeeze out.

    Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

    Mark step 10 as done