Carrot Ginger Cake

I'm just gonna be honest and say that being allergic to walnuts and pecans sucks. It really, really sucks. Polvorones, you know? Those Mexican wedding cookies? Yeah, can't eat 'em. Carrot cake had always been off limits since so many people insist on adding walnuts, and I was never able to enjoy a nice sugar-laden slice of pecan pie. 

Cue Alton Brown and his awesome cookbooks! My parents got me the set for Christmas, and I've worked my way through several recipes so far. This has to be one of my favorites. I adjusted it slightly, added some freshly grated ginger, and toned down the sugar, but otherwise this cake as fantastic. I know I've been using pumpkin pie spice in pretty much every recipe on this blog, but it's versatile, and a lot easier than buying several different spices you might never use.

It's not as fattening as it could be, and the finished cake is really moist. So forget about walnuts (though you can add them if you really want) and make Carrot cake better at home...

Basically, you shred up some carrots

Whisk a bunch of ingredients together

And bake

and make some awesome cream cheese frosting in pyrex

Carrot Ginger Cake 

(adapted from Good Eats 2)

6-7 medium carrots, grated (about three cups shredded)

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz block cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350, butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans

Whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, salt, baking soda, baking powder in large bowl. Toss the grated carrots in and work with your hands until the carrots are well-coated in the flour mixture. 

Whisk together oil, sour cream, eggs, sugars, yogurt/sour cream. Fold into the carrot and flour mixture until just combined. Distribute batter evenly between two cake pans. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 325 and bake for about another 20 minutes. Keep checking the cake after 15 minutes though, to make sure you don't over bake. 

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then on a rack until completely cool. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Whisk together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well-combined. Adding half a cap at a time, gradually whisk in powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want.