CARROT CAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUNCH AND LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Coming up with amazing cake flavor combinations has become one of my new favorite hobbies. Lauren and I have been killing it lately with our cake creations, if I do say so myself.
Our family has been making this carrot cake recipe for years, the secret ingredient being crushed pineapple (don’t be scared of this, it just adds a little extra sweetness and moisture), and it has always been a favorite dessert to make for Easter! However, this time we took it two steps further by pouring a buttermilk glaze over the hot cake layers to add some depth of flavor and ensure the cake would be incredibly moist (sorry, there just isn’t a better word to use), and by putting the most delicious gingersnap cookie crunch in between the layers when the cake was assembled.
Guys. You won’t believe how insanely well these flavors compliment each other! Carrot cake + gingersnaps + lemon + cream cheese = SO MUCH GOODNESS! I have not tried every carrot cake recipe out there, but I feel pretty DANG confident saying you will not find a yummier one than this! This recipe has no nuts or raisins in it cause those ruin carrot cakes in my opinion, but if those ingredients are your jam, go ahead and throw some in yours!
For our recipe, I used the Triple Ginger Cookies from Trader Joe’s, but you can use any crunchy gingersnaps you can find! I highly recommend the Trader Joe’s brand if you have TJ’s near you though, they are extra gingery and are soooo good in this cake!
Carrot Cake with Gingersnap Crunch and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting yield: three 8-inch cake layers, two 9-inch cake layers, or one 9×13 inch pan
Carrot Cake Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 C vegetable oil
8 oz. can crushed unsweetened pineapple, drained
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
3 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 C sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T baking soda
dash of nutmeg
dash of powdered ginger
1 tsp salt
Carrot Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter your cake pans. If using rounds, line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the paper.
Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender. Once soft, drain and purée carrots in a food processor (or blender). Transfer to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer to cool.
Whisk oil, pineapple, eggs, and vanilla into the carrot purée.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and gently mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Divide batter equally among prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (it might be more time for a 9×13 or slightly less time for 9-inch pans), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
While cakes are in the oven, prepare buttermilk glaze (see below).
If cooking your cakes in rounds: Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Lightly spray or butter some parchment paper and place over two wire racks. Once cakes have slightly cooled, turn them out of the pans onto the buttered parchment.
Buttermilk Glaze Ingredients:
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 C butter
1 T light corn syrup
1 t vanilla extract
Buttermilk Glaze Directions:
Combine all ingredients except vanilla extract in a medium sized pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
Boil 4 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
Pour over cake layers when they are still warm.
Gingersnap Cookie Crunch Ingredients:
2 cups crunchy gingersnap cookies, broken into small pieces (our favorites are the triple ginger cookies from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cinnamon
Gingersnap Cookie Crunch Directions:
Combine ingredients and spread out over a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 6 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Remove from oven, stir once again, and let cool (it will harden as it cools)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: (if you want to do extra swirls and fun things with your frosting like I did in the pictures, you will need to make a recipe and a half)
1 c butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 t vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar, measured and sifted
1 T lemon zest (zest of 1-2 lemons)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:
Place softened butter in your stand mixer and mix on high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
Add cream cheese to butter and mix an additional 2 minutes, or until fully combined.
Add vanilla extract and mix again.
Measure 6 cups of powdered sugar and sift. Add to butter/cream cheese mixture. Once incorporated, mix on high for 5 minutes. While it is mixing, add lemon zest.
Turn off mixer and stir out the air bubbles with a wooden spoon.
Cake Assembly:
Trim cakes if necessary to ensure they are flat and even.
If using round cake layers, start by taping a cake board the same size as your cake to a cake board that is 2 inches larger than your cake. Secure cake onto cake boards by putting a little frosting down first and then placing the cake face down on top of it.
Cover first layer with frosting then top with a generous helping of the gingersnap cookie crunch.
Place next cake layer on top and repeat step three.
For the crumb coat, place a spoonful of frosting on the top of your cake and pull out towards the edges. Frost the sides by spinning the cake around as you spread the frosting over the entire cake. Do not spend too much time on your crumb coat as it will get covered up by more frosting, but try to make it relatively smooth. Once satisfied, place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the frosting and to secure the layers.
Once you remove the cake from the freezer, place another cake board (that is the same size as your cake) shiny side down on top of your cake. Secure the cake board by frosting the top sides of your cake first. and fill in the entire area between your top and bottom cake boards. This will ensure you have a straight, even cake.
Smooth frosting using a cake scraper. If you have a rotating cake stand, try to place your scraper on the back side of the cake and spin the entire cake in one fluid motion.
Fill in any air pockets with additional frosting and repeat until smooth. If adding sprinkles, do it now.
Put cake back in freezer for 15-20 minutes to set frosting again.
Remove cake from freezer and use a paring knife to carefully cut the top cake board off the cake.
Add additional frosting to the top of the cake and smooth using the cake scraper.
If you are not eating the cake until the next day, place it back in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the frosting and then wrap it in saran wrap and keep it in your freezer until about 6 hours before you wish to eat it. If freezing it for more than one day, also wrap it in aluminum foil.
