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Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Brown sugar-cream cheese Frosting
Candied carrot curls as garnish
Instructions:
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Then, prepare the pecans by tossing them together with the melted butter and kosher salt. Spread them in a single layer in a foil-lined pan for 10 minutes or until they are toasted.
Next, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In separate large bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar and brown sugar together. Then beat in the oil and eggs, one at a time, until it is all blended smoothly together. If you have an electric mixer, using it will make this process easier.
Next, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating adding the flour then the buttermilk, ending with the flour mixture. Once the two mixtures are blended evenly, add in the vanilla. Then fold in the carrots, grated apple, coconut flakes, and one cup of the toasted pecans.
Once all the ingredients are mixed together, spoon the batter into three greased and floured nine-inch cake pan. If you do not have three cake pans, you can also bake them individually three times.
Bake the cakes for approximately 23 to 28 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick in the center, and it comes out clean.
Once the cakes are out of the oven, allow them to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely. Once the cakes have cooled, begin to layer then with brown sugar cream cheese frosting between each of the layers and on the sides and top of the cake. Top the cake with the candied carrot curls and the remaining toasted pecans.
Slice and enjoy!
Commentary:
Now that it is officially Spring and Easter is around the corner, carrot cake seems like the perfect dessert to indulge in. This carrot cake is layered but if you don’t want to do the extra work to make it like this you can make it all in one larger pan and simply use the frosting around the cake and on top.
This recipe can be altered to suit your tastes and preferences. If you’re allergic to nuts or don’t like them, you can remove them from the recipe. The same with the apples and coconut. You can also substitute some of the ingredients or leave some out if you don’t have them. For example, cream cheese frosting works great if you don’t have any brown-sugar cream cheese frosting.