Carrot Cake
The BEST Pastel De Zanahoria you'll ever have! Fluffy & moist with real grated carrots and a Mascarpone frosting. This cake is always a hit!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams) plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine kosher salt
- 2 cups sugar (400 grams)
- 1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pound carrots (peeled and grated)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional )
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)
- 4 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176C).
- 2
Grease 2 (9 x 2-inch) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the flour the pans. Set aside.
- 3
In medium bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- 4
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or handheld mixer), beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
- 5
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
- 6
In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- 7
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- 8
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the middle of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- 9
Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out onto baking rack, and cool completely.
- 10
Place one cake on a flat serving plate, rounded side down, spread half the frosting on the top (not the sides). Place the second cake on top of the first cake, rounded side up. Frost just the top of the second cake.
- 11
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat since it can make the frosting curdle.