Towering Carrot Cake Recipes

TOWERING CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil two 9-inch round cake pans. Combine oil, eggs, carrots, pineap-ple, vanilla, pecans, and coconut; mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to combined moist ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Turn cake layers onto cooling racks and allow to thoroughly cool. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Frost the top of the first layer with cream cheese frosting. Add second layer and frost the outside of the cake with cream cheese frost-ing, creating a ¼-inch rim around the perimeter of the top of the cake. This will help contain the caramel sauce. Place caramel sauce on top of the cake and garnish with the candied pe-cans. Store the cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Caramel Sauce In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cream. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a full boil. Reduce heat. Boil gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasion-ally. Stir in vanilla. Allow to cool. Candied Pecans Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and orange juice. Add pecans, stirring to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake 12 minutes or un-til nuts are browned and syrup is bubbly. Pour nuts onto a sheet of well-buttered waxed pa-per, separating nuts into single pieces. Allow to cool. TIP: The candied pecans are great as a snack, on salads, and in yogurt. They make a deli-cious gift as well! Cream Cheese Frosting Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on low until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until light and smooth.

CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
• Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla, water, and carrots. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then finely chopped pecans.
• Scrape batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen, and turn out cakes onto rack. Turn right side up, and let cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, trim rounded top of 2 cakes. Place one trimmed cake, cut side up, on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with second trimmed cake, cut side down. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with remaining cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Gently press coarsely chopped pecans onto sides of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

TOWERING PRALINE CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour three 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans; set aside. In a covered medium saucepan cook carrots in a moderate amount of boiling water about 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Cool carrots slightly; coarsely mash with a potato masher.
• In a very large bowl stir together flour, sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add oil, eggs, pineapple, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until all ingredients are combined. Fold in mashed carrots, pecans, and coconut.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks. While layers are cooling, prepare Cream Cheese Frosting; beat or stir remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon into frosting.
• To assemble, place one cake layer, top side up, on a cake plate. Using about 1 cup of the frosting, pipe or spoon a rim about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch high around outer edge of layer. Spoon about 2 tablespoons frosting into center, leaving an unfrosted ring. Spread about half of the Praline Sauce into the unfrosted ring (sauce will not fill ring). Add second cake, top side up; repeat frosting and filling steps using another 1 cup of the frosting and remaining Praline Sauce.
• Add third cake layer, top side up. Frost top and side with remaining frosting. If desired, garnish with additional chopped pecans. Cover; store in refrigerator.
• To serve, let refrigerated cake stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Or thaw frozen cake, covered, in refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.) Cream Cheese Frosting
• In a large bowl beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. (This frosts tops and sides of two 8- or 9-inch layers. Halve the recipe to frost a 13x9x2-inch cake.) Cover and store the frosted cake in refrigerator. Praline Sauce
• In small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and whipping cream. Bring to full boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat. Boil gently 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Cool. Prepare Towering Praline Carrot Cake as directed through Step 5, assembling cake on the base of a cake container with a tight-fitting lid or one a baking sheet. Do not garnish with pecans. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. (Or freeze just until frosting is firm. Cover with container lid or moisture- and vaporproof wrap. Freeze up to 1 week.)

TOWERING PRALINE CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 1 1/2-inch round baking pans; set aside.
• In a covered medium saucepan cook carrots in a moderate amount of boiling water about 20 minutes or until very tender; drain.
• Cool carrots slightly. Coarsely mash with a potato masher.
• In a very large bowl stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add vegetable oil, eggs, pineapple and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until all ingredients are combined. Fold in mashed carrots, pecans and coconut.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven 35 - 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.
• Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on racks. While layers are cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting.
• Cream Cheese Frosting:.
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add cream cheese and vanilla extract; beat until fluffy. Stir in chopped pecans.
• Use pecan halves for garnish if desired.
• Praline Sauce:.
• In small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and whipping cream. Bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat.
• Boil gently 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla extract. Cool.
• To Assemble: Place one cake layer, top side up, on a cake plate. Using about 1 cup of the frosting, pipe or spoon a rim about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch high around outer edge of layer.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons frosting into center, leaving an unfrosted ring. Spread about half of the praline sauce into the unfrosted ring. Sauce will not fill ring.
• Add second cake, top side up. Repeat frosting and filling steps using another 1 cup of the frosting and remaining praline sauce.
• Add third cake layer, top side up. Frost top and side with remaining frosting. If desired, garnish with additional chopped pecans.
• Cover. Store in refrigerator.
• Let refrigerated cake stand, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Or thaw frozen cake, covered, in refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

TOWERING CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil two 9-inch round cake pans. Combine oil, eggs, carrots, pineap-ple, vanilla, pecans, and coconut; mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to combined moist ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Turn cake layers onto cooling racks and allow to thoroughly cool. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Frost the top of the first layer with cream cheese frosting. Add second layer and frost the outside of the cake with cream cheese frost-ing, creating a ¼-inch rim around the perimeter of the top of the cake. This will help contain the caramel sauce. Place caramel sauce on top of the cake and garnish with the candied pe-cans. Store the cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Caramel Sauce In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and cream. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a full boil. Reduce heat. Boil gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasion-ally. Stir in vanilla. Allow to cool. Candied Pecans Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and orange juice. Add pecans, stirring to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake 12 minutes or un-til nuts are browned and syrup is bubbly. Pour nuts onto a sheet of well-buttered waxed pa-per, separating nuts into single pieces. Allow to cool. TIP: The candied pecans are great as a snack, on salads, and in yogurt. They make a deli-cious gift as well! Cream Cheese Frosting Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on low until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until light and smooth.