Favorite Carrot Cake

February. Groundhog Day came and went and I did not pay attention to the result because I am choosing to believe spring is coming regardless of what any groundhog in Pennsylvania says about it. In Alabama we get a few warm days in February sometimes, teasing, before March settles the matter properly. I have been watching the azalea bushes in front of my apartment building like they will tell me something the calendar cannot.

Valentine's Day is coming up and I do not have strong feelings about it in either direction. I am twenty-two and single and that is just what it is. I am not lonely in a painful way. I have work I love and Sunday dinners and Biscuit and a kitchen that is reliably interesting. Some Februaries that is enough and some Februaries it is almost enough, and I am old enough now to tell the difference and not confuse them.

I made a chocolate lava cake this week, just to do it, just because I wanted chocolate cake in February and the small flourless kind where you break the shell and the center runs. The technique is simple but timing is everything: too long in the oven and the center sets, which is still good but not the point. I made six of them in a muffin tin, timed them at twelve minutes exactly, and served them warm to myself with vanilla ice cream. They were perfect. Eating something perfect alone is its own kind of company.

Sunday I made chicken and dumplings for Gloria and James. Not a recipe from her index cards, one I developed myself over the years starting from her base. Soft pull-apart dumplings dropped by the spoonful into a broth that has been simmering the chicken all afternoon. Gloria asked if I had added sage. I said yes. She said good.

That week of baking — the lava cakes timed to the minute, the chicken and dumplings fragrant with sage — reminded me that I bake best when I’m not trying to impress anyone, just following something through to the end. This carrot cake is cut from the same cloth: humble ingredients, a process that rewards patience, and a result that tastes like it took more effort than it did. It travels well to Sunday dinner and it keeps well on your own counter, which covers most of the bases February asks you to cover.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups finely grated carrots (from about 1 lb whole carrots)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Combine and fold. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix. Fold in the grated carrots and nuts, if using, until evenly distributed.
Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 33 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges begin to pull away from the sides. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn out and let cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and creamy, about 1 minute more.
Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Favorite Carrot Cake — When February Calls for Something You Baked Yourself