Praline carrot cake
Praline carrot cake recipe in the cake category
Recipe ingredients:
- 6 medium carrots
- 3 cups flour
- 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 6 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1, 8 ounces, can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut
- Praline sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Candied pecan halves:
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- Cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
Recipe method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium saucepan, cook carrots, covered, in a moderate amount of boiling water until very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain. Cool slightly and chop in food processor, using several pulses, or coarsely mash with potato masher. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.
- Grease and lightly flour three 9 inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add oil, eggs, pineapple and vanilla.
- Beat with an electric mixer on low speed, about one minute, to combine all ingredients.
- Fold in the pecans, coconut and mashed carrots.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before loosening edges and removing from pans.
- Cook cakes thoroughly on wire racks.
- While cake is baking and cooling, prepare praline sauce, candied pecan halves and cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- Praline sauce:
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the brown sugar and cream.
- Cook and stir until mixture comes to a full boil.
- Reduce heat and boil gently over entire surface for three minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in vanilla extract. Cool.
- Candied pecan halves:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine brown sugar and orange juice.
- Add pecan halves, stirring to coat.
- Spread in a lightly greased 8 inch square baking pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until nuts are browned and syrup is bubbly, stirring once.
- Pour out onto a lightly greased baking sheet, separating into single nuts.
- Cool on wire rack.
- Cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add about half the confectioners sugar, beating well.
- Gradually beat in enough of the remaining confectioners sugar to reach spreading consistency.
- Place one of the cooled cake layers, top down, on cake plate.
- Use about 1 cup of the frosting to pipe or spoon a rim about an inch wide and half inch high around outer edge of cake layer.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons frosting in the center 1 1/2 inches of that layer, leaving an unfrosted area or ring.
- Spoon and spread about half of the praline sauce into the ring. Sauce will not fill ring.
- Add a second cake layer, top down and repeat frosting and sauce as above.
- Add final cake layer, top up.
- Frost top and sides of layers with remaining frosting.
- Garnish top with candied pecan halves.
- Store cake in refrigerator.
Tags: praline, carrot, recipe, cake, recipes, cooking