Harvest Carrot Cake

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 cup golden raisin
• 3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
• 7 medium carrots
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons orange peel, finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur
• 2/3 cup coconut, toasted unsweetened dried shredded (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (180 degrees celsius).
• 2 lightly butter 3 (9-inch/23-cm) round cake pans.
• 3 if you don't have 3 pans, use disposable 8-1/2-inch (21.6-cm) round foil pans instead.
• 4 line bottom of pans with a circle of lightly buttered waxed paper.
• 5 to plump raisins, place in a small microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with liqueur. cover with plastic. microwave on medium until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. set aside.
• 6 peel carrots; grate using large grating disc of a food processor or a box grater. grated carrots should measure no more than 3-1/2 cups (875 ml). it's important not to use any more or cake will be soggy.
• 7 in a medium-size bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs with orange peel, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth.
• 8 in a large bowl, using a fork, stir flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and allspice.
• 9 make a well in centre.
• 10 pour in egg mixture. stir just until moist.
• 11 gently stir in carrots, raisins with any remaining liqueur and pine nuts until evenly distributed.
• 12 scrape into prepared pans and smooth tops.
• 13 bake in centre of 350 degree fahrenheit (180 degrees celsius) oven until a cake tester inserted in centre of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
• 14 cool cakes in pans 10 minutes; turn out onto a cooling rack; cool completely.
• 15 if making ahead, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days.
• 16 for icing, place cream cheese in a large bowl.
• 17 using an electric mixer, beat until creamy.
• 18 beat in icing sugar; add vanilla and orange-flavored liqueur, scraping down sides as needed.
• 19 stir in 1/3 cup (75 ml) coconut.
• 20 place 1 cake on a large plate.
• 21 spread one-third of frosting overtop, just to edges.
• 22 repeat layering with cakes and frosting to form a triple-decker cake.
• 23 sprinkle top with remaining 1/3 cup coconut.
• 24 refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight, before serving.
• 25 slice into wedges and serve.
• 26 any leftovers will keep well, covered and refrigerated, up to 5 days.