For the Best Carrot Cake, Roast Your Carrots
Roasting encourages caramelization of the carrot's natural sugars.
Carrots are one of those vegetables that are often described as sweet, which is why carrot cake makes sense on paper. However, if you’ve ever grazed a crudité platter, you know that carrots are a gamble. The non-sweet carrots take a sharp turn toward bitter or downright soapy, and this is not how you want anyone to describe your cake. Instead of crossing your fingers, ensure a better cake by roasting your carrots first.
Why roasting works
Roasting veggies evaporates water (excess water from raw carrots is one of the culprits of soggy carrot cake) and, thanks to the Maillard reaction, develops new, delicious flavors. Roasting also encourages caramelization of the natural sugars to occur, so even the soapiest carrots will transform into sweeter morsels after a thorough roasting.
To do this, I’ll line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drop the carrots onto it. If you’re using baby carrots, there’s no need to cut them, but if you’re using larger carrots, break them down into roughly two-inch chunks. Drizzle some oil on the carrots and toss them with your hands to ensure they’re thoroughly coated in oil. Bake them in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until a knife can pierce through the center and the bottoms have browned (that’s a sure sign flavors have developed). The best part is that you can roast the carrots in advance and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Carrot cake made easier with a food processor
I’m rather particular about how I like carrot cake. I hate when it’s too dense with additional ingredients, or sodden with moisture from pineapples, raw carrots steaming in the mix, and raisins. And the shredding? Forget it.
I wanted a carrot cake that would come together quickly. Taking a cue from Milk Street’s blender cakes, I figured this would be a great time to dump a bunch of ingredients into my food processor. No shredding half a pound of carrots for me: My carrot cake takes the best parts of the classic American-style carrot cake (without quite as many mix-ins) and uses the food processor to chop up the carrots right in the batter. This method results in a gorgeous orange hue, enhances the carrot-y flavor, and even makes it easier to slice the cake without all the stringy fibers tearing the crumb out.
The recipe below produces a springy cake and, thanks to the Greek yogurt, a moist yet light crumb. Although you can always add embellishments if you really want, this cake isn’t overwhelmed with spices and raisins—the roasted carrot flavor has the spotlight. This recipe makes one nine-inch round snack cake, and it’s phenomenal with just a dusting of powdered sugar. However, I understand that carrot cake also tends to be most loved with cream-cheese icing, so there’s a quick three-ingredient recipe for that, too.
Roasted Carrot Snack Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
For the cake
8 ounces carrots, roughly cut into 2-inch chunks
A spritz of neutral oil to roast the carrots
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
2 eggs
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup walnuts pieces
⅓ cup sweetened coconut flakes
For the icing:
6 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and dust it with flour. Additionally, I like to line the base with parchment paper to ensure an easy release.
2. Line a sheet pan with foil. Put the carrots chunks on the tray and spritz them with enough oil to coat them. Massage them with your hands to ensure thorough coating. Roast them in the 350°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes. They should be knife-tender and brown on the bottoms. Set them aside to cool. (You can also do this part in advance and store them in the fridge for about four days.)
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
4. In a food processor, add the oil, eggs, yogurt, salt, sugar, vanilla extract, and roasted carrots. Blend the ingredients until the carrots are in small bits and the rest of the liquid is smooth, about 20 to 30 seconds. Add in the walnuts and coconut flakes. Pulse the mixture about five times, just to break up the coconut strands and walnut pieces.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when you gently press it. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn it out onto a wire rack and remove the parchment. Flip it right-side up, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
6. To make the icing, place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and nuke it for 30 seconds, stirring halfway through. The cream cheese should be soft, spreadable, and silky. Mix in the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well-combined.
7. Slather the cake in the cream cheese icing and enjoy.