Carrot Blossom Cake
Carrot Cake was one of the first cakes I ever baked as an aspiring pastry chef. My first recipe was from Nick Malgieri, who published the carrot cake recipe from Michelle Tampakis, It had a perfectly dense crumb, flavorfully filled with carrots and spices. This grain-free version, with dairy-free cream cheese buttercream, satisfies with the same flavors as the original.
Carrot Cake is a crowdpleaser. It was one of my top requested celebratory cakes. I created wedding, birthday and other event-centered carrot cakes, all finished in various decoration, but always filled with decadent cream cheese frosting and crushed pineapple. Another of my classic cakes, the “beehive” cake, which was my take on the classic southern hummingbird, was a popular choice. So, of course, as I continue adding baking recipes to my grain and dairy free repertoire, I had to recreate this classic.
The buttercream is tricky. so I’ve created a video to show you, step-by-step, how to make it. The key here is patience. And confidence! if it looks like it might have broken (looking “curdled”) stick with it and it will come back together. I don’t recommend trying to make only half of this recipe, especially if you have a 5 quart stand mixer, like a Kitchenaid. The whisk may not reach all the way to the bottom of the bowl, so the meringue won’t incorporate properly. It’s best to make the full recipe and store in the refrigerator. Or use it up! This frosting is not so sugary sweet that you can’t have a little extra. And since it’s lower on the glycemic scale, you most likely won’t get that sugar buzz.
This tutorial shows you how simple it is to assemble this cake.
Watch this quick tutorial for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Carrot Blossom Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare 2 8” pans with avocado or ghee spray, and parchment disc in bottoms of each pan. Preheat oven to 350°F
- Combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl large enough to add all other ingredients later. Whisk or sift together to eliminate any lumps. Set aside.
- Combine egg yolks, coconut oil and vanilla in a separate bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the whip attachment, or separate bowl with a hand mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to ensure that all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the egg whites carefully by first adding one third of whites, then the remaining two thirds. It's fine if a few small white lumps remain. Fold in the carrots last, just enough to combine, being careful not to overmix, or the batter will deflate.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Level tops. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating each pan halfway through cooking. Check for doneness with a skewer. Allow to cool to the touch, then remove from pans to cool completely on a rack.
- At this point the cakes can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and frozen until ready to finish.
- Combine the coconut sugar, egg whites and salt in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan with boiling water, as a double boiler (or Bain Marie). Stir constantly with a whisk until sugar is melted and mixture is about body temperature. Do not overheat. (If you're using a stand mixer with a metal bowl, simply use the mixer bowl over the pan of hot water, then place on the mixer to continue.)
- Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer, or if using a hand mixer, to a cool mixing bowl (this lessen the mixing time if the bowl is not hot) and whip until thickened and tripled in volume, to a meringue consistency, about 10 minutes.
- While meringue is whipping. Dissolve the gelatin in the water in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power to melt and activate gelatin. Do not allow to boil.
- When meringue is ready, add the gelatin with the mixer running. Pour it carefully down the side of the bowl, avoiding getting it into the whip while it's moving, or it will splatter the gelatin and create small lumps in the buttercream.
- Cut the Miyokos butter into pieces and add, one or two at a time, allowing each to combine before adding more. Scrape down the bowl in between. Once all of the Miyokos butter is combined, add the shortening. Mixture might start to look curdled, but keep mixing it and it will emulsify completely.
- Soften the cream cheese with a whisk, until smooth. Weigh 8 ounces of buttercream, reserving the remainder for another use, or for decorating. (It's more accurate to weigh on a kitchen scale than to measure.)
- Place the cream cheese into a bowl and whisk to smooth it out. Add the 8 ounces of buttercream, in 3 or 4 additions, to the cream cheese, whisking by hand, until all is combined together and the consistency is smooth. Adding buttercream to the cream cheese in small amounts helps to minimize lumps.
- Decorate by filling each layer with cream cheese buttercream, then frosting the outside of the cake. If you like, you may add drained, crushed pineapple to the filling layers, raisins, walnuts, almonds or whatever you prefer in your carrot cake.
- Keep chilled until serving.
Pro Tip
To make 2 6 inch layers, cut the recipe in half.
When testing the temperature of the meringue, place a small dab of meringue on the back of the hand or upper lip. These are more sensitive and can indicate temperature more accurately. It should not feel warmer or cooler than your body temperature.
This buttercream will have a natural caramel color due to the coconut sugar.
