A while back I wrote about our journey of trial and error in learning to bake a four-layer carrot cake. A friend contacted me on Facebook and asked where to find the recipe. Well, I couldn’t find it, so here it is!
This is the recipe Steve and I presented for dessert at our first 3-pot cook off (and WON!), and then at the World Championship Cook Off in 2014 (scored very well in the semi-finals). It is the recipe that has gone up against Bill Ryan in several carrot cake throw downs…. but never wins! I love Bill but just once I’d like to beat him!!
Why do I like this recipe? Moist, colorful, light texture, lovely flavors, and so tall! Pecans cover the sides. And it can be presented in different ways, depending on how fancy or easy you want to make it.
Here are three ways to present this cake. I have given you the instructions for baking it in four 8-inch Dutch ovens to make an impressive and tall cake. The second option is for a two-layer cake baked in 10-inch ovens – not as tall but still eye-catching. These two options require chilling the cakes before removing them from the ovens to frost the cake and serve it outside of the oven. If you don’t care about a tall cake, don’t want to remove the cake from the Dutch oven, and don’t mind serving the cake from inside the Dutch oven, then you are going for option three. Bake it in a 12-inch camp Dutch oven, let it cool down, then frost and serve it inside the oven with chopped pecans sprinkled on top. Easy and delicious! (Note: Baking time for larger ovens will increase and you will have to add more charcoal to the top and bottom for 350 F. Refer to this chart to make adjustments for proper temperature control.)
Thank you Lori C for asking for the recipe!
Note about the rum and Amaretto in this recipe: Together, they add layers of flavor that compliment the cake in a wonderfully unusual way. But, if you are worried about the level of alcohol in this dessert, then you can substitute with rum flavoring or delete the alcohol all together. Here’s what Just a Pinch suggests regarding substitution for rum (as well as a great explanation of what rum extract is):
As a general rule, for every three tablespoons of dark rum in a recipe, one teaspoon of extract can be used.
This cake is made from scratch, which takes some time, but the results are well worth the time. Like all things that are made with love, your investment pays dividends when you watch a loved one put her fork into a slice of carrot cake, then into her mouth, and…. mmmmmmm spreads across her face. Priceless!
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto
- 1/3 cup 151-proof rum
- 2 cups flour All-purpose is fine but if you use cake flour, you will be happy with the light texture of the cake
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup finely choppe pecans
- 16-ounces carrots peeled and finely shredded
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1 8-ounce can shredded pineapple drained
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest organic orange is best
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons Amaretto
- 2 tablespoons 151-proof rum
- 2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
- Prepare four 8-inch camp Dutch ovens by spraying with oil, then dusting with a light coat of flour, then adding a round piece of parchment paper that fits in the bottom of the oven.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream together eggs and sugars until smooth. Beat in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, amaretto, and rum. Fold in shredded carrots, pineapple, pecans, and currants.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. (Why sift? To completely integrate all of the dry ingredients and to a bit of loft to the cake.) Gently fold into wet ingredients until just combined. It is okay if there are a few small clumps of dry ingredients. The less you stir the batter, the lighter the cake will be.
- Pour cake batter into prepared camp Dutch ovens, dividing evenly between the four ovens. Bake cakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit by placing a circle of 5 hot charcoals underneath each oven and 11 hot charcoals around the lid of the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the top springs back from gentle touch and a toothpick comes out cleanly with just a few crumbs.
- Remove all charcoal and let the ovens sit with out the lid for 5 minutes. Place ovens (without lids) into an ice bath with the top of the water coming half way up the side of each oven. Chill cakes completely. Run a table knife around the outer edge of each cake to make sure the cake releases completely. Invert cake on to a wire rack. Remove parchment paper.
- While cakes are baking and cooling, prepare frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and maple syrup and beat until fluffy. Fold in amaretto and rum. Chill completely before frosting the cake.
- Prepare a 12-inch cardboard cake round by cutting two pieces of parchment paper that are long enough to cover the cake round. Overlap one piece on top of the other and center in the middle of the cake round. Place one of the chilled carrot cakes in the center of the cake round. Spread 1/4 cup of the frosting on top of the cake. Repeat. Place the last cake on top and frost top of cake with one cup of frosting. Use remaining frosting to cover the sides. Hold the cake with one hand and gently press the chopped pecans to cover all the sides completely. Chill cake for at least one hour before serving. Remove the parchment paper pieces by carefully sliding them out from underneath the cake. Sprinkle any remaining pecans around the base of the cake.
