Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Walnuts

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and walnuts is a fragrant, spiced dessert that has gained incredible popularity over the past few years. It includes aromatic spices, and in addition, carrots are added to the batter, which makes the layers moist, though the taste of the carrots is not noticeable. The light creamy frosting pairs perfectly with the spiced layers. Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and walnuts is easy to prepare. It will be a true decoration for your holiday table and will delight you and your guests.

Preparation time: 8 hours.

Yield: 8 servings

Calories: 345.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• flour - 165 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs;
• grated carrots - 175 g;
• walnuts - 60 g;
• vegetable oil - 100 g;
• soda - ½ tsp;
• baking powder - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 200 g;
• salt - 1/3 tsp;
• cinnamon - 1 tsp;
• nutmeg - a pinch.

For cream:

• butter (soft) - 100 g;
• cream cheese (Philadelphia type) - 350 g;
• powdered sugar - 50 g.

Cooking

1. Prepare the ingredients for the spiced cake layers.

2. You will also need walnuts. Remove them from the shells and membranes, then dry them in a pan. Heat a dry pan and add the walnuts. Toast for a few minutes until a pleasant aroma arises. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and transfer the walnuts to another dish to stop the toasting process and prevent burning. Cover the walnuts with a napkin and let them rest.

3. Once cooled, chop the walnuts using a regular knife.

4. You will need three medium carrots. Choose juicy and fresh carrots (wilted carrots are not suitable). Peel the carrots.

5. Grate the carrots using the finest grater. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or another grating tool.

6. Pour vegetable oil into a large bowl and add all the sugar. Mix with a mixer.

7. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl.

8. While continuing to mix the oil and sugar, add the eggs one at a time.

9. Add salt to the batter for taste.

10. Prepare the dry ingredients.

11. Place a sieve over the bowl with the egg-oil mixture. Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl.

12. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until smooth.

13. Add the prepared walnuts and mix well to evenly distribute them in the batter.

14. Now add the grated carrots and mix thoroughly.

15. The choice of pan depends on how you want to present the finished cake. If you want a round cake, bake the layers in a round cake pan. For a rectangular cake, use a wide baking sheet. Preline the baking sheet with parchment paper. Since the batter will rise during baking, form borders with the parchment paper. For extra precaution, coat the paper with vegetable oil. Spread the batter evenly on the baking sheet with a silicone spatula or a flat spatula.

16. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with the top and bottom heating modes. Bake the cake layers for about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven's power. Check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer or toothpick.

17. Once baked, transfer the cake layers to a cooling rack and let them cool.

18. Once the cake layer has cooled, trim the edges by cutting off one or two centimeters from all sides.

19. At this point, you can cut the cooled cake layer into two equal parts to make a two-layer cake. If you're making a three-layer cake, use toothpicks to mark where the cake should be divided.

20. Cut the cake into three parts.

21. If you don't plan to finish making the cake today, wrap the layers in parchment paper and then cover them with plastic wrap. Store the layers in the refrigerator. The layers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, but we will continue preparing the cake the next day. Allowing the layers to rest in the fridge helps evenly distribute moisture within the cake, making it easier to assemble.

22. Don't throw away the leftover cake trimmings. Let them dry on the table.

23. Once the trimmings have dried, crush them in a blender or grate them on a fine grater.

24. For the frosting, we will need cream cheese, which can be easily made at home. Take regular kefir, preferably in one-liter packages (2.5-3.2% fat content works best). Freeze the kefir in the packages for 4-6 hours.

25. Set a colander over a deep bowl and line it with 4-6 layers of cheesecloth. Remove the frozen kefir from the package and transfer it to the colander.

26. Cover the frozen kefir with the remaining cheesecloth and leave it to thaw on the counter.

27. Once thawed, the cream cheese should have a smooth, elastic texture.

28. Prepare the ingredients for the frosting as listed.

29. Transfer the ingredients to a bowl. The frosting will be whipped using a blender or mixer.

30. Whip the cream cheese frosting until fluffy.

31. Generously spread the cream cheese frosting between the cake layers.

32. Cover the top and sides of the cake with frosting. If there are any uneven spots, smooth them out with additional frosting.

33. Cover the entire cake with the cake crumbs.

34. Decorate the carrot cake with walnuts and other decorations of your choice. The decoration should include some carrot elements.

This is an original cake you can prepare for a celebration. The fragrant, delicious, and vibrant carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is sure to delight your guests.