A rich, white chocolate cream cheese icing tops this decadent cake from Claire Tansey. Try it out for your next party!
Carrot cake with white chocolate icing
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 ½ cups grated carrots, about 5 medium
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
- 168 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 250- g pkgs cream cheese, cut into cubes, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups sifted icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Oil 2 9-in. round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment. Stir flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl until evenly mixed. Make a well in centre.
Whisk eggs with brown sugar, oil and vanilla in another bowl. Stir in grated carrots. Add carrot mixture and nuts to flour mixture. Stir just until mixed. Divide batter equally between pans. Smooth tops.
Bake in centre of oven until a cake tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 min. Then run a knife around edges of cakes. Cool in pan, on a rack, 10 minutes, then turn cakes onto rack and cool.
For icing, place chocolate in a bowl. Microwave on medium until almost melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool. Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, until creamy. Beat in icing sugar, then cooled chocolate and vanilla. Refrigerate icing to firm up a little, 15 to 30 minutes.
To assemble a 4-layer cake, carefully slice each cake in half horizontally. (This cake also looks terrific in 2 layers.) Place 1 layer on a cake plate. Spread with a scant cup (225 mL) of icing. Top with another layer and repeat icing. Continue with remaining layers and icing. Spread leftover icing over sides. Iced cake will keep well in refrigerator for 3 days.
Prep 30 min| Total 55 min| Serves 16
Nutrition (per Serving): 633 calories, 8 g protein, 58 g carbs, 43 g fat, 2 g fibre
Courtesy Claire Tansey