Moist Carrot Cake

Instructions

Carrot Cake Layers:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line four, 7-inch or three, 8-inch round pans with parchment rounds and grease with non-stick baking spray, or brush them with homemade cake release. You can also use this recipe to make 4, 6-inch cake layers but the bake time will be 5-8 minutes longer. If you don't have 4 cake pans, the batter can sit at room temperature for a few hours. Bake as many layers at a time as you can at a time.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of light brown sugar, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1 cup of oil until combined.
3. Then mix in 6 eggs, 2 at a time. Whisk together until the batter is smooth.
4. In a separate large bowl, sift or whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves.
5. Add half the dry ingredients into the sugar/egg mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
6. Mix in 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 2 tsp of vanilla until combined.
7. Then mix in the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
8. Peel and finely grate 1 lb. of carrots. Don't worry about squeezing the excess moisture out of the grated carrots - the extra liquid helps the cake layers bake up super moist and tender. You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of shredded carrots. Fold the grated carrots into the batter.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. I like to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my pans so that they all have the same amount of batter. This guarantees the layers will be the same height once baked.
10. Bake the cake layers for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
11. Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula around the perimeter of the pans to separate the cake layers from the pan.
12. Place the cake layers in the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
13. Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers. If you're making these layers in advance, wrap and freeze the cake layers at this point.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the cream cheese frosting.
2. Beat 2 cups of butter and 1 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment until smooth.
3. Add in 1 Tbsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of salt. Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Slowly mix in 11 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add 2 Tbsp of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.
5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
6. Wait to color the frosting until the cake is fully frosted.
7. Cover the uncolored cream cheese frosting with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent it from crusting and set it aside. This can sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours, but if you make it in advance be sure to store it in the fridge.

Assembling This Layered Carrot Cake

1. Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof cake board using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
2. Stack the cake layers and add an even layer of uncolored cream cheese frosting between each cake layer with a large offset spatula.
3. Use a large offset spatula and/or bench scraper to cover the cake in a thin layer of frosting to trap in any crumbs, then chill it in the fridge (30 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
4. Then add another layer of frosting around the cake and smooth the frosting with a bench scraper. This layer doesn't have to be perfect because we're about to pipe frosting carrots around the side of the cake!
5. Place 1/4 of the remaining frosting in a separate bowl and color it green with gel food coloring. Place in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M or 2D frosting tip. Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip.
6. Color the remaining frosting orange with gel food coloring. Place in a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip or an opening cut about 1 inch wide. Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip.
7. Pipe vertical lines of orange frosting on the sides of the cake to look like carrots.
8. Pipe green frosting swirls around the top edge of the cake to look like carrot tops, then enjoy!