Apple Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Two glories of the fall harvest—juicy apples and earthy carrots—make this a dense, moist cake that can’t come out dry. Crown with maple-tinged cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 12 ounces cream cheese (1 1/2 packages Philadelphia brand), room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar (little less than one box of Domino brand)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Directions
For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in carrots and apples and toss to coat. In a separate large bowl, whisk sugar and oil until bended. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture and stir until blended.
Divide batter between baking pans. Bake cakes until they spring back to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Frost cake. Keep cake in refrigerator. Serves 12.
For frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup.
