Recipe: Carrot Cake

Gâteau Baron

(a nice carrot cake)

 Ingredients: Strained apricot preserves thinned with 1 tablespoon rum and cream cheese frosting to finish
 * ·        200g flour
 * ·        40g cornstarch
 * ·        2 teaspoons baking soda
 * ·        1 teaspoon salt
 * ·        1 tablespoon cinnamon
 * ·        ½ teaspoon cloves
 * ·        ½ teaspoon nutmeg or mace
 * ·        400g white sugar
 * ·        250g neutral vegetable oil
 * ·        4 large eggs, room temp
 * ·        3 cups grated carrots (measure by volume)
 * ·        200 chopped walnuts, toasted and cooled
 * ·        ¼ cup ginger snow, see note

To prepare: Oven at 350. Butter, paper and flour two 9” or three 7” round pans and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In large bowl combine sugar and oil, then beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated Gently stir in dry ingredients until blended, then mix in ginger, followed by carrots and nuts. Divide evenly between pans, smoothing out top. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake sings and a tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan 20m.

To assemble: Unmold cakes onto a cooling rack and remove paper. When warm room temperature, brush generously with apricot glaze. Frost top of less attractive cake generously with cream cheese frosting then place the second layer on top, frosting the top (and sides, if desired) with remaining frosting.

Notes: To make ginger snow, freeze fresh ginger and grate it either with a microplane or fine box grater. Do not pack the snow, simply let it fall into your measuring cup and shake to even out. There is no need to grate the ginger beforehand as it will essentially dissolve into your batter. This cake is even better the second and third day, so feel free to make it ahead, glazed but unfrosted, up to a week in advance.