1
["Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F/180C.", "Spray 3 (8 or 9 inch) round pans (**see note below for alternate pan sizes) with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment rounds and spray parchment or lightly grease again with oil then dust with flour, tapping out excess flour.", "In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cloves (if using); set aside.", "In food processor fitted with the shredding disk or using the small holes of a box grater, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); set aside.", "In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat eggs and both the granulated and brown sugars together on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds.", "Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer.", "With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture by hand until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the carrots.", "Give the batter a final stir to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops", "Bake until a toothpick or a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean or with a few cooked crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking time.", "Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges of the cakes, then flip them out onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper, flip the cakes right side up, and let cool completely before frosting, 11/2 to 2 hours.", "Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. (Instructions below).", "To frost and assemble, place one of the cake layers onto the cake platter. Spread 1 cup of the frosting over the cake, right to the edges. Place a second cake layer on top and press lightly to adhere. Spread another 1 cup frosting over the second cake layer. Top with the final cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Frost the top and side of the cake with the remaining frosting.", "Serve right away or store until ready to serve under a cake dome or in airtight container to prevent it from drying out.", "Carrot cakes in general tastes better with time, to allow for the components to meld together and flavors interwine. So try to prepare the cake several hours ahead or even a day in advance. If making a day ahead, store in the fridge under a cake dome or in an airtight container, then take it out of the fridge at least 4 hours before serving and allow it to come to room temperature. I like to take it out of the fridge first thing in the morning to give it enough time to reach room temperature.", "In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer) beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and lightened up, 1 to 2 minutes.", "Add the confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until lightened in both color and texture and looks fluffier than when it started, 4 to 6 minutes.
2
Beat in sour cream.", "With the mixer running on medium speed, add one piece of cream cheese at a time, one after the other, mixing well after each addition so there are no lumps. Continue adding the cream cheese until fully incorporated.", "Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the frosting is light, fluffy, whipped-like and until almost no cream cheese lumps remain, 4 to 6 minutes.", "* Since carrots vary greatly in size, it is preferable to weigh them using a kitchen scale instead of relying on the number of carrots. Weight of carrots (1 pound) is their net weight, after they've been peeled and dark, bitter roots removed, so buy more than 1 pound, as there weight will decrease significantly after peeling. If you don't have a kitchen scale, just make sure you have 3 packed cups of shredded carrots.", "** This recipe works perfectly well as a 2-layer 9inch cake, and makes 24 beautiful cupcakes. Baking time will vary, so take that into consideration. You could also bake it in a 13X9inch baking pan, but you'll need to reduce the frosting recipe by half.", "***If you like nuts in your cake, stir 11/2 cups toasted chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the carrots. Raisins are also a good addition; 1 cup can be added along with the carrots. If you add both nuts and raisins, the cake will need an additional 10 to 12 minutes in the oven."]
