‘Tis the season of holiday parties and potlucks, so the big decision in our kitchen these days is what to make and bring to these gatherings. By popular demand, Mr. Chuckles has been assigned dessert duty at Christmas Day dinner and will be preparing a carrot cake.
We found this recipe from the manual that came with our new food processor. It has been tested on two occasions so far and has turned out delicious and delectable!
Recipe
Adapted from Cuisinart.
Serves: One 9-inch cake | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes (plus 30-60 minutes for chilling)
Ingredients
Cake
- Non-stick cooking spray
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
- ½ pound carrots (approximately 3-4 medium sized), peeled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 standard package cream cheese (8 ounces), room temperature, sliced into 8 pieces
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, sliced into 4 pieces
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Steps
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8 inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Insert the chopping blade into the work bowl of the food processor. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Process to combine, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
3) Put the walnuts into the work bowl and pulse 2 to 3 times to coarsely chop. Leaving the nuts in the bowl, remove the chopping blade and replace with the shredding disc. Shred the carrots. Add the nuts and carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
4) Remove the shredding disc and replace with the chopping blade. Add the sugars to the work bowl. Put the oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large measuring cup. While unit is running, gradually add the wet ingredients to the sugars. Process until well mixed, about 45 to 60 seconds. Add to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5) Pour into the prepared pan and carefully place in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting.
After cleaning it well, insert the chopping blade into the work bowl. Add the cream cheese and butter and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down as needed, about 40 to 60 seconds. Add the goat cheese and process until combined, another 10 to 15 seconds. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Process until completely smooth, again stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6) Once the cake has cooled, remove from pan. Frost the entire cake as one layer, spreading evenly on the top and sides with a spatula. Chill for about 30 to 60 minutes and allow to set.
7) Sprinkle additional walnuts on top of cake. Slice into portions when ready to serve.
👨🍳 Notes from Mr. Chuckles
If you have the supplies and frosting application skill, you can make this a two layer cake. Just follow the instructions on the original recipe linked above.
Our cake was prepared using the Cuisinart Elemental 8 Cup Food Processor. We are not affiliated with Cuisinart in any way, although I’m thinking that we probably deserve some kind of endorsement deal for plugging their product. 😉
Seasons greetings and happy eating!
I've Bean Travelling 
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