Can you believe you can make a three layers Carrot Cake in few minutes?! Of course you can if you use a food processor and microwave!This is my favourite Carrot Cake ever and I make the batter in few minutes just mixing the ingredients in a food processor and cook 3 cake layers in only 9 minutes! The match between fresh orange, carrots, dark brown sugar, vanilla, a hint of cinnamon and pecans is absolutely unbelievable! Of course if you don't have a food processor you can use a hand grater for your carrots and a hand mixer or just a whisk with a spatula for the cake batter. If you don't have Microwave you can use preheated traditional oven at 170°C-340°F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.The cake turns out soft, so fluffy and with irresistible moist crumbs.The frosting is my irreplaceable Cream Cheese frosting: it never disappoints me and it's ready so quickly! In the last months I started making my Cream Cheese frosting using only one bowl and it works perfectly, so I suggest to use this method if you're in a hurry instead of that one you can see in my recipe video below. You just need to put all your chilled ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer until become smooth and creamy (be careful to not over beat it!). You also don't need to bring your cream cheese at room temperature. Don't worry if you see some cream cheese lumps when you start mixing: it will turn out smooth and creamy in very few minutes without any small lumps, believe me!I decorated with homemade carrots fondant: CHECK OUT MY FONDANT RECIPE in the TIPS down below if you want to learn how to make your own decorations, it's so funny!This is the best quick and easy Easter dessert to impress your guests!
160 g(5,5 oz)fresh carrotspeeled and coarsely chopped
3large eggsroom temperature
1 tspvanilla pasteor vanilla extract
the zest from 1 small orange
110 g(1/2 cup)white sugar
100 g(1/2 cup)dark brown sugar
180 ml(3/4 cup)vegetable oilflavorless like canola oil, sunflower oil...
300 g(2+1/2 cup)all purpose flour
1/2 tspcinnamon powder
2 g(1/2 tsp)baking soda
5 g(1+1/4 tsp)baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
15 g(1 tbsp)orange juice
100 g(1 cup)pecanschopped in large pieces
Cream Cheese Frosting
600 g(21 oz)cream cheesechilled
270 g(2 cups+2tbsp)powdered sugar
2 tspvanilla pasteor vanilla extract
500 ml(2 cups)whipping creamchilled
Instructions
Carrot Cake
In a medium-size bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Mix and set aside.
In a food processor, place chopped carrots and process until finely ground. If you don't have a food processor, grate your fresh carrots with a fine hand grater. You can make the cake with a hand mixer or just with a wisk and a spatula.
Add eggs, vanilla, orange zest, white sugar, dark sugar and process.
Add gradually oil and stop mixing until combined.
Add the flour mix and process few seconds just until combined: don't overmix! If you're using a whisk, remember to fold gently the flour mix into the egg mix with a spatula and don't mix it too much.
Add pecans, orange juice and mix few seconds just until combined.
Equally divide the cake batter into 3 slightly grased 18cm-7inch silicone microwave cake pans: I have just one pan and I cook one cake layer at a time.
Cook every cake layer in microwave 800W for 3 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is soft but dry.If you have a Microwave with higher/lower wattage, you have to reduce/increase the cooking time for few seconds or minutes.If you don't have a Microwave, just bake your cake in preheated oven at 170°C-340°F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool down your cake over a wire rack. Meanwhile make the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium size bowl, place cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar and mix with an hand mixer for few seconds until creamy and well combined (you can also mix with a spatula).
In a very large bowl, place your chilled whipping cream and whip until soft peaks.
Add cream cheese mix and mix with an hand mixer for about 1-2 minutes until creamy and slightly thick: don't overmix.
Assemble the Cake
Use the frosting for filling the three cake layers and frosting the cake.
Decorate the top with a 1M piping tip, chopped pecans, fondant carrot decorations: check my FONDANT RECIPE down below!
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving.