Carrot Orange Cake With Cashew Cream Icing Recipes

EASY ORANGE-CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square or 10-inch round cake pan with a little vegetable oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment or waxed paper, cut to fit. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs, orange zest, and juice. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the chopped walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and grated carrot. Mix just until combined (don't overmix, because this will affect how the cake rises).
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until golden. Check doneness by poking a skewer or toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked; if it's still slightly sticky, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes.
• Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a rack to cool completely before icing.
• For the icing, place the sour cream in a mixing bowl. Sift in the powdered sugar and grate in the zest of one orange. Halve the orange and squeeze in the juice from one half. Whisk everything together until glossy. It will be a fairly loose consistency. Spread thinly over the top of the cake. Grate a little more orange zest on top of the cake. Slice the remaining orange and serve on the side. Makes 16 servings.

CARROT-ORANGE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Line bottom with waxed paper; butter paper. Using electric mixer, beat oil and both sugars in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange juice and peel. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt into large bowl; add to sugar mixture and beat to blend. Stir in carrots and raisins.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool cake 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack. Remove waxed paper and cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)
• For Frosting:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light. Beat in orange juice and 2 teaspoons orange peel. Add sugar; beat until smooth. Refrigerate until thick enough to spread, about 30 minutes.
• Using serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in thick decorative swirls over top and side of cake. (Carrot cake can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

OLD-FASHIONED CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat into egg mixture. Stir in carrots., Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in another large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired spreading consistency. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting for decorating if desired. If desired, stir walnuts into remaining frosting. , Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. If decorating the cake, tint 1/4 cup reserved frosting orange and 1/4 cup green. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with orange frosting. Pipe twelve carrots on top of cake, so each slice will have a carrot. Using #67 leaf pastry tip and the green frosting, pipe a leaf at the top of each carrot. , Store cake in the refrigerator.