Recipe: Charm City carrot cake

Charm City carrot cake with Duff’s cream cheese icing

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time for the cakes

Servings: 12 to 16

Note: Adapted from Duff Goldman’s Charm City Cakes.

Carrot cake

Scant 3 cups (12.5 ounces) flour

1 1/4 cups (9.7 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup (4.85 ounces) light brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 packed cups finely shredded carrots

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Into a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer, whip the eggs until they thicken and ribbons form when the beater is lifted, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the oil and vanilla extract to the whipped eggs.

4. Gently fold the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients to form the batter; it may feel a little thick. Add the shredded carrots and gently but evenly fold them into the batter.

5. Pour the batter into two (8-inch) round pans lined with parchment. Bake until the cakes are puffed, golden and set, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Rotate halfway through for even baking. Remove and set aside on racks to cool before unmolding.

Cream cheese icing and assembly

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Cooled carrot cakes

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until well blended and lightened in texture. Beat in the vanilla until blended.

2. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until the icing is smooth and spreadable, then frost the cake.

Each of 16 servings: 536 calories; 5 grams protein; 58 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 32 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 77 mg cholesterol; 40 grams sugar; 266 mg sodium.