Thursday Food young baker Jolie Smith, in this her final feature, whips up her favourite cake: Carrot.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients :

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups grated carrots

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans well with non-stick cooking spray (you can also line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper for easier removal) and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until well-combined. Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the grated carrots into the wet ingredients and mix until well-combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or rubber spatula until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.

Pour the cake batter evenly between both prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the centre of each one comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool in the pans for about 20-25 minutes. Once the cakes have cooled, remove from the pans and return the cakes to the wire rack to finish cooling.

Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle pistachios on top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 to 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 cup butter, softened

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk

1 cup chopped pistachios, optional

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until well-combined and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.