Carrot Sheet Cake, Part 1

I thought about calling this recipe a "simplified carrot cake," since it's not the more traditional layer cake but is instead a sheet cake, baked in a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan. It's certainly easier--but just as moist and irresistible.

Last week, I needed to make a dessert to take to the book group I lead at the Norfolk, Connecticut, library. (It was the first discussion of four over two months on George Eliot's MIDDLEMARCH. We're nothing if not serious!) I thought about this recipe from a long time ago, back when Bruce created it for THE ULTIMATE COOK BOOK. I dug it out and voilà, the American classic, reinvented as a somewhat simpler sheet cake.

We'll do take this recipe in two parts: in this post, the cake; then the frosting, a cream cheese wonder (which you can find here). As you know, carrot cake is a ridiculous indulgence. No, you shouldn't eat it every week. Or even every month. But once in a while, it's nice to dig out an old stand-by and have at it. I hope you'll try this one--and it'll become one of your favorites, too.

First, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Lightly butter and flour a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan, making sure you get butter and flour into the corners and along the sides. Tap out any excess flour into the sink.

Next, use a fork or a whisk to mix all this in a medium bowl: 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (60 grams) cake flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Use an electric mixer at medium speed to beat 8 tablespoons (1 stick or 120 grams) cool cubed unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 3/4 cup (135 grams) packed dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) nut oil in a large bowl until creamy and light, about 5 minutes.

Nut oil? Yep, any you choose. You'll add nuts to the batter in a bit, so it's best to pick a nut oil that matches the nut you'll use: walnut oil for walnuts, pecan oil for pecans, or hazelnut oil for skinned hazelnuts.

Beat in 5 large eggs, at room temperature, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated fully before adding the next. Scrape down the inside of the bowl with a rubber spatula once in a while to make sure everything's getting uniformly blended.

Turn off the beaters. Grate 4 medium carrots through the large holes of a box grater and into the bowl. Also add 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest. Beat at low speed just to incorporate.

Turn off the beaters; add half the prepared flour mixture. Beat at low speed until there are no white patches in the batter. Scrape down the inside of the bowl, then add the remaining flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until incorporated.

Scrape down and remove the beaters. Fold in 1 cup (150 grams) chopped, shelled nuts--walnuts, pecans, or skinned hazelnuts. Make sure there's absolutely no unmoistened flour in the bowl.

Scrape and smooth this batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake until lightly puffed and springy to the touch, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on how much ambient humidity was stored in the flour, how cold the eggs were, and exactly how much carrot was added to the batter. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack for one hour--then frost (the recipe is here) or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before frosting.

Comments

[Suzie]

Mark, this sounds wonderful! Question - could I substitute the carrot pulp from juicing carrots for the grated carrots? I'd like to find a use for the pulp other than compost. I'm thinking if it can be substituted, the amount should be reduced due to the density of the pulp? And did you mean "make sure there's NO unmoistened flour in the bowl" in the section where the nuts are folded in, or should there be unmoistened flour remaining?

Thanks for sharing this. I look forward to making it!

[Mark Scarbrough]

Suzie: Sorry about the mistake. Yep, there should be NO unmoistened flour in the bowl.

Bruce and I talked about the carrot pulp. We just don't think it will work. In a carrot cake, the natural moisture--a.k.a. juice--in the carrots is part of the liquid. Thus, you don't add milk and such in this recipe, as you might normally in cake batters. By using juiced carrots, you wouldn't have enough moisture to make a successful cake. Now mind you, we haven't tried that--and probably wouldn't, based on our informed hunch about how the batter works.

It's such a great cake! Just wait until the frosting.

M.

[Suzie]

Thank you, Mark (and Bruce too). That makes perfect sense! About that frosting, I hope you won't keep me in suspense too long :).