Lindsay’s Carrot Cake Recipe

We’re dedicating this wonderful recipe to an equally wonderful person, Lindsay! She has been
with the Co-op for 7 years as our Brand Manager and she’ll be retiring this December. We’ll
miss her dearly, but we’re excited that we get to see her off into a new chapter of life.
For any big event, a cake is certainly required, and we’ve cooked up a delicious recipe with
some of Lindsay’s favorite flavors. This carrot cake is topped and coated with a white chocolate
cream cheese frosting that perfectly balances the sweet spiciness of the carrot cake
underneath. It’s perfect to enjoy at upcoming holiday celebrations or any gathering where cakes
can be found.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
1 T vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 cup chopped and roasted pecans

For the frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz of white chocolate
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Set your cream cheese and butter on the kitchen counter to reach room temperature before
making your frosting.

Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by greasing them with butter or cooking spray. Cut out 3 pieces
of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the pan and press it. Set your pans aside.
Note: If you don’t have enough cake pans, you can also bake the remaining cake batter in
muffin tins at a shorter baking time.

If you’re using un-chopped and unroasted pecans, chop them into medium chunks and prepare
a baking tray with parchment paper. Toast the pecans in the oven as it’s warming up, about 10
minutes or until your kitchen begins to fill with the smell of roasted pecans. Check on them
every few minutes to make sure they aren’t burning. Set them aside to cool while you prepare
your carrots.

Wash and peel your carrots. Grate them and set them aside. I recommend grating them directly
into the measuring cup, as it’s difficult to predict how many carrots you’ll need. Set them aside.

Melt your butter over the stove in a small saucepan. Allow it to cool while you prepare your dry
ingredients.

In a medium bowl, add your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and baking soda. Whisk
them together and set aside.

Transfer your melted and slightly cooled butter to a large mixing bowl. Add your sugar and
vanilla extract, whisking until there are no dry spots of sugar.

Add your eggs to the large mixing bowl one at a time, beating in each one to incorporate.

After adding all your eggs, stir in your pecans and carrots until combined.

Slowly fold in your dry ingredients a few cups at a time until the batter is formed, avoid
overmixing.

Pour your cake batter into your prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted
in the cake comes out clean. If baking cupcakes, bake for about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to
cool completely while you make the frosting.

Using the microwave or a double-boiler method, melt your white chocolate. To use the double-
boiler method, you will need a saucepan or pot and a mixing bowl that sits on top of it
comfortably. Fill the saucepan or pot with water about halfway and heat it until boiling. Place a
metal mixing bowl on top of the saucepan and add the white chocolate.

Allow your white chocolate to cool slightly, about to where you could stick your finger in it and
not get burned. This will prevent the butter from melting too much when you add it to the
frosting.

In a medium bowl, add your room temperature cream cheese, room temperature butter and
vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer until combined.

Add your melted and cooled white chocolate and mix until combined.

Time to assemble your cake. Between each layer, I recommend adding about 2 heaping spoons
of frosting. Spread each layer evenly and smooth out the top of the cake. Use the remaining
frosting for the sides, or leave it unfrosted. You can decorate it with some pecans placed around
the cake, or leave it plain. Enjoy!