Spiced Rum Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
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2 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
½ tsp. Salt
1 C. Granulated Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Vegetable Oil
4 Large Eggs
3 C. Grated Carrots
½ C. Crushed Pineapple
½ C. Spiced Rum
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Chopped Walnuts (or Pecans)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine both sugars and vegetable oil. Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Slowly stir in the grated carrots, crushed pineapple, spiced rum, and vanilla extract. Mix well together.
Gently stirring, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture. Do not overmix! Combine the ingredients just until you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing can cause the cake to get dense and tough rather than having a light and fluffy texture.
If you are adding walnuts (or pecans), gently fold them in now.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pans.
Place pans in the middle rack of oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean from center of cakes.
Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting: while the cakes are cooling, you can prepare the cream cheese frosting (recipe below).
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
4 C. Powdered Sugar
½ C. Unsalted Butter, softened
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp. Spiced Rum
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and rum until smooth and creamy.
Preparing the Cakes- once the cakes are completely cool, place one cake on a serving plate and generously spread frosting on top. Place the second cake on top and cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
Other Options & Add-ons:
Gluten Free Option: Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Be sure to check that all your other ingredients, such as baking powder and sugar, are gluten-free as well. The resulting cake will still be moist and flavorful with all the wonderful spices intact.
Vegan Option: Substitute eggs with flax eggs (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons of water per egg) and replace cream cheese frosting with a vegan cream cheese or coconut whipped cream.
Add-ons: Enhance your cake’s flavor profile by incorporating ¼ cup of raisins and/or ½ cup of shredded coconut. These can add a new texture and flavor dimension to your cake. Be careful not to add too much of these moist ingredients, as they can affect the cake’s texture.
