Classic Carrot Cake with Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting

So this week's Heavenly Cakes Bake-through was the Red Fruit Shortcake. I decided to go rogue and not make it this week, despite not having made it yet. After mentioning in my comment on Jenn's LCNC that raspberries aren't around these parts yet so my red Fruit Shortcake would be basically a strawberry shortcake I got a little bummed out. Not that there's anything wrong with a strawberry shortcake, but the recipe calls for strawberries AND raspberries, and I would like to try that.

So I went in a different route and decided to bake another cake on my list--but not on Jenn's--and went for the carrot cake, mainly because the dreamy cream cheese frosting sounds appealing. But isn't that why people like carrot cake--for the cream cheese frosting?

June 26, 2011
Name of Cake: Cream Cheese Frosting and stuff
Occasion: HCB
Constituents: two 9 inch layers carrot cake (no raisins, no nuts) filled and frosted with dreamy creamy etc. frosting

My go-to carrot cake recipe is this gilded lily made with toasted coconut, toasted pecans, orange zest and of course, carrots. It is also sweetened with maple syrup and honey, and instead of butter it calls for applesauce. I've made it gluten free as well as with white flour or whole wheat pastry flour. It is a good, glossy, and sturdy cake and has been well received. However I am not totally attached to it so I was looking forward to trying Rose's version.

(Here is a link to the Gluten Free version of my go-to carrot cake. If you like gluten, just sub in equal amounts of whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour, and omit the xanthan gum.)

Add the carrots...

I think Rose's carrot cake might mix up the fastest of any cake in the book. The sugars and oil are mixed for one minute in the mixer, then the dry ingredients are mixed in until incorporated (about 20 seconds), then the carrot is added and mixed for 12 seconds. And, finished. In less than two minutes the cake is ready to bake. That is fast!!

...and 12 seconds later you've got this

The dreamy creamy etc frosting is Rose's take on cream cheese frosting: hers includes a large amount of white chocolate, not quite two bricks of cream cheese, a little butter and a tiny bit of creme fraiche or sour cream. I decided to do my usual full fat yogurt substitute for the sour cream, but this time used a greek-style yogurt which is thick and creamy like sour cream. Yum!

The white chocolate is melted over a double boiler then everything is blended in the food processor. And then it is ready!

I found the cake and frosting not so great the first day--the flavors were disjointed and disappointing. After an overnight rest in the refrigerator, however, everything changed. The cake was moist with a slightly rough crumb due to all the grated carrot, and the flavor was unusually subtle for carrot cake: a little bit of cinnamon is all. Same thing with the frosting--instead of hitting you over the head with the tang of cream cheese and the sharp sweetness of powdered sugar, this frosting was slightly tangy, slightly sweet, really creamy, and light instead of dense.

I shared this cake with several people and it was universally loved by all. Coleen especially was taken by the cake, and she was the one who pointed out that because the frosting wasn't as aggressive as typical cream cheese frosting, the cake didn't need a shitload of spices to compete. This cake, to me, is a classic Rose recipe: simple, subtle, natural without a lot of bells and whistles up front and satisfying to your palate and soul.

I suspect Bilbo and the dwarves would approve

Here's the link to Marie's Classic Carrot Cake from December 2009, and here's the link to Marie's round-up of the HCB's Carrot Cakes.