Gingered Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

From Good Housekeeping

Photo by Ann Stratton

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus cooling

Makes 20 servings

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks), softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3 1/3 cups shredded carrots (about 1 lb.)

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (4 oz.)

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (about 1 1/2 oz.)

Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. butter, softened (no substitutions)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Chopped crystallized ginger for garnish

 Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans; dust with flour.
  2. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
  3. In large bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, butter, and sugars 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in pineapple with its juice and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts, raisins, and crystallized ginger.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 32 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 15 minutes. With thin knife, loosen sides of cakes from pans; invert onto racks and cool.

    Frosting:

  5. In large bowl with mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat 2 minutes, or until very fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add confectioners’ sugar and beat 2 minutes, or until smooth. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

    Assemble cake:

  6. Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on cake plate. With narrow metal spatula, spread 1 cup frosting over layer. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Spread remaining frosting on top of cake. If you like, sprinkle crystallized ginger on top of cake for garnish. If not serving cake right away, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days.