Classic carrot cake

Baked on a Friday evening, iced between macchiatos Saturday afternoon and lit for January birthdays Saturday night. Not the last one; the one before that. 

That's my speed these days: looooong baking, quickeating, slooooow blogging.

Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups of grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

zest of half an orange (you'll use the rest in the frosting)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup of demerara sugar
4 eggs

Frosting:

500 grams (2 packages) full-fat cream cheese

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of half an orange (see, what did I tell you?)

680 grams icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease three 9-inch round baking pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper, then dust the pans with flour. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.

In a second medium bowl, stir together the grated carrots, toasted walnuts, coconut, fresh ginger and orange zest. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugars on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in the add-ins (carrots, walnuts, etc.)

Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes (Tara's took just 25-30 minutes, but my thicker layers needed more time) until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then flip them out to cool completely before frosting.

To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and orange zest in a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Frost!

Source: This cake over at Seven Spoons, minus the raisins, in three layers instead of four, with orange-zested frosting.