Carrot Layer Cake with Caramel

For Mother’s day this year I made this wonderful cake.  I am using up raw carrots that are in my hydrator drawer in the refrigerator and extra cream cheese I bought during Passover.  They have the best butter and cream cheese for Passover, I always buy extra.  Mother’s day usually involves some kind of brunch and is a perfect opportunity to make a dairy cake.  This year mom, Nona seems to be aging all of a sudden making every Mother’s day more precious than the last. She does have quite the sweet tooth.

Cake:

4 cups sifted flour

3 teaspoons cinnamon

4 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

5 eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

6 cups grated carrots (loosely packed)

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Prepare the rack in the middle of the oven.  Place the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and stir to blend do not include the sugar.  Beat the eggs and the sugar together  and then add the buttermilk.  Mix together and then add the oil, beat until combined.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir together until blended, and then stir in the grated carrots. Pour the batter into a large non stick lasagna pan sprayed with non stick spray.  Bake at 350° for about 40-45 minutes.  Check for doneness in the center of the pan with a toothpick.  Make sure the center is baked through.

When the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and cool on a cake rack for about 30 minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on rack.  It you would prefer, you could siphon off enough batter to make one miniature loaf pan for a weeknight dessert.  Just a little something to make your mouth happy after dinner.

Once the cake is cooled off cut it into three equal pieces to use as layers for a rectangular shaped cake. Using a large serrated knife, carefully trim any uneven top portions. Using your flat hand as a guide over the cake gently saw back and forth to remove any rise in the surface of the cake.  Wrap the three individual layers in plastic wrap, place them on a flat surface in your freezer and freeze.

Next make the caramel:

2 sticks of unsalted butter (1 cup)

¾ cup heavy cream

1 and 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place the room temperature butter in a small saucepan and add the cream.  Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, not boil.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

In another small heavy bottom saucepan, heat the sugar and corn syrup on medium heat.  The sugar will slowly dissolve and blend with the corn syrup.  Do not stir; do not try to scrape down the side of the pan.  You can swirl the pan a bit now and then.  Do not walk away; all of a sudden you will notice the edges of the melted sugar starting to turn gold.  Watch the mix very closely.  Bit by bit the syrup will turn golden caramel color.  When the syrup is all rich caramel color, turn down the heat. At this exact moment add the butter and cream blend, stir in the salt and the vanilla.  Use a wooden spoon. Turn the heat to medium low and cook the caramel for about 1 minute, it will thicken a little.

Remove the caramel from the heat.  After it cools a bit, refrigerate the caramel until stiff enough to use as the frosting in between the layers of cake.

Frosting:

2 sticks butter

2   eight ounce packages of cream cheese

8 cups of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

For the frosting cream the butter in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer or you can use a hand held as well.  Add the cream cheese and vanilla, beat until well blended.  Then, add the powdered sugar carefully while the mixer is on the lowest speed. Lastly add the vanilla.  Whisk frosting until it is smooth and fluffy.

To assemble the cake; first, cover a stiff cardboard in aluminum foil.  Unwrap a frozen layer of cake and place the first layer of cake down on the board.  Generously slather caramel over the top of the first layer.  Place the second layer on top of the first, taking care to line up the two layers. Spread a generous amount of caramel over the second layer.  You will probably have left over caramel.  Just store it in the refrigerator.   It is fabulous over pears, bananas, in sundaes anything you can think of.

Next place the third layer on top.  Frost the whole cake with the cream cheese frosting.  Refrigerate the cake before serving.  Keep the cake refrigerated as this frosting is perishable.  This cake is very large and cuts into many pieces.