The Moistest Carrot Cake

I have been making Carrot Cakes since Michael's Nanny, Mrs. Bonnetta came to watch Michael when he was six months old. She gave me the most common carrot cake recipe and since then, I have been making it with variations here and there. However, about 2 months ago, I stumbled upon this recipe from a world famous restaurant. The minute I read it, I knew it had to be best. Well, as it turns out, it is the moisest carrot cake in the world !! The extra effort you put into it is definitely worth it. And you can freeze it and serve it when needed and it would retained its moisture... Read on and you will see why. You have to try making this but once you done it, you will chuck your other carrot cake recipes away !

Ingredients for the Cake:
2 tbs of unsalted butter plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups carrots, peeled and coarsley grated
1 1/3 cups loosely packed shredded, sweetened coconut
2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Ingredients for Buttermilk Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tbs light corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for Frosting
1 1/2 cup(3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:
To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Generously butter two 9 inch round cake pans each about 1 1/2 inch deep. Dust each cake pan with about 1 tbs of flour.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well.
Add the pineapple, carrots, coconut and 1 cup of walnuts and mix well. Add the flour mixture and foldk into the batter with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 40 mins or until sides of cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted int he center of the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup and baking soda until well blended. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 3 mins, stirring until heated through and the sugar dissolves. Remove pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set aside, covered, to keep warm.

Remove the cakes from the oven and put them still in the pans on wire racks sitting on baking sheets. Using a toothpick, poke about 20 holes in the top crust of each cake layer. Do not go any further than halfway through the cakes.

Whisk the glaze and pour it evenly over the cake layers. Let the cakes cool completely and then cover them, still in the pans, with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours until completely chilled.

To make the frosting: In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set on medium speed, beat the butter and cream cheese for about 2 mins or until fuffly. Add confectioners sugar, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla. Mix slowly so that the sugar doesnt fly out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed and beat for about 1 min or until the frosting is smooth.

To assemble: Remove the cake layers from the refrigerator and invert them on a work surface. You might need to run a knife around the edges to loosen the layers. Put 1 layer on a platter, glazed side down.

Put about 1 1/2 cups (a third) of the frosting on the center of the cake layer and using a spatula, spread it evenly over the cake. There should be a layer of frosting about 1/2 inch thick. If the frosting is soft, return the cake to the refrigerator to stiffen it up.

Put the other layer on top of the cake, glazed side down, and frost the top fo the the cake with about 1 1/2 cup (1/3) of the frosting.

With the remainder of the frosting, cover the sides of the cakes with a thin layer. With the tip of the spatula, press lightly into the top layer of frosting and pull it up to form little spikes. Repeat over the entire top of the cake.

Lightly sprinkele the top of the cake with about 3 tbs of chopped walnuts. Press the rest of the walnuts onto the sides of the cake. Make this a thicker layer than the nuts on the top of the cake. Serve at room temperature.