Simple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

from Cooks Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients:

For the Carrot Cake: 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teas baking powder
• 1 teas baking soda
• 1 1/4 teas ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teas ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teas ground clove
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1 lb carrots, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 12 oz cream cheese, softened
• 6 oz tbs unsalted butter, softened
•  4 teas sour cream
• 1 teas vanilla extract
• 1/4 teas salt
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preparation:

Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degree F. Grease 2 8 inch cake pans or one 13×9 inch pan, line with parchment paper, grease parchment. Flour the parchment and knock out any extra.

Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Using a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred carrots; transfer to bowl. Wipe out work bowl and fit processor with metal blade. Process granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs in food processor until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With processor running, add oil in steady steam and process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and stir in carrots and flour mixture until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top with rubber spatula, and gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Bake cake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool completely in pan on wire rack about 2 hours.

Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, discard parchment, then turn cake right side up onto serving platter.

Make the frosting: Process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.

If making a layer cake with two 8″ rounds, level cakes, ice one layer, top and spread frosting evenly over cake and serve. For 13×9″, spread icing evenly and serve.