Roasted Carrot Cake

By Chez_Alexander

A recipe from The Pantry, Seattle, WA.

Ingredients

• ROASTED CARROT PUREE:
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 4 TBS light brown sugar
• 4 TBS honey
• 4 TBS unsalted butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Neutral oil to coat
• CARROT CAKE:
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground Chinese 5-Spice powder
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 4 large eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup neutral oil (e.g., safflower, sunflower, or avocado)

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

ROASTED CARROT PUREE:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Spread the cut carrots, light brown sugar, honey, butter, cinnamon, and salt onto a half sheet pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the mixture with neutral oil and use your hands to mix and coat the carrots evenly with all of the ingredients.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are well-roasted. Spots of black are ok (even encouraged!)

4. Transfer the carrots to a food processor and puree. You may need to add some hot water to the mix to get it to puree but ultimately you are looking for the consistency of applesauce.

CARROT CAKE:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Prepare the cake pans by greasing the bottoms and sides with melted or softened butter. Place a parchment circle on the bottom of each cake pan. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and Chinese 5-Spice powder. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl combine the buttermilk, neutral oil, and the roasted carrot puree. Mix well to combine. Set aside.

5. Split and scrape the vanilla bean lengthwise. Remove the vanilla bean seeds with the back of your knife and add to the sugars. Use your fingers to crunch the vanilla bean seeds into the sugars. Set aside.

6. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer and set to medium speed. Gradually add the sugar in a steady stream. Once the sugar has been added, continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is thickened and will hold a thick ribbon.

7. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredient mix to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add 1/2 of the liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the next 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Proceed in the same fashion until all of the remaining ingredients have been used up. After the last addition, mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish the batter by folding by hand so as not to overmix.

8. Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 20 minutes. Check the pans at this point and rotate. The cakes are done when the surface of the cake springs back when (lightly!) touched and a 1/8" gap forms between the cake and the sides of the pan.

Makes one 8" layer cake. Suggested filling/frosting: Vanilla Mascarpone Buttercream topped with crushed Walnut Brittle (press brittle crumbs into buttercream up sides of cake)