Ultimate Carrot Cake

I have always loved eating carrot cake and it MUST have cream cheese icing.  So when I saw this Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting on Zoe Bakes, I wanted to give it a try.



This is definitely a keeper.  It definitely met my expectations!  I have already made it twice....the second time without coconut as my younger daughter would not eat it with coconut.



Ultimate Carrot Cake 
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup canola oil
4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 pound finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut  (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 packs cream cheese, softened (500 grams)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup

Directions:
1)  Grease two 9″ cake pans and line with parchment.
2)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3)  In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Set aside.
4)  In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Then gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Add the carrots. Fold in the walnut and optionally coconut.
5)  Divide the batter into the two prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack.
6)  Make the icing by blending the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon juice, confectioners’ sugar and corn syrup, until smooth.
7) Put one layer of the cake on a 9-inch cardboard round and then spread about 1/3 of the cream cheese icing.  Place next layer of cake and ice both the top and sides.  Refrigerate and serve when ready.