Carrot cake: three ways

1. 

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   Use an electric mixer for 30 seconds to combine the butter and cream cheese. Light and fluffy butter and cream cheese can be achieved by whipping them together in a large bowl at a low speed. Incorporate them thoroughly. [1]

   • Softened butter and cream cheese are preferred. If you want to use them, take them out of the fridge an hour before you need them so they can warm up and soften.
   • If you don't have a mixer, you can get the same results by vigorously stirring the butter and cream cheese together with a wooden spoon.
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   2

   Sift 3 and 3⁄4 cup (710 ml + 180 ml) sifted confectioners' sugar This is the best way to get a perfectly smooth frosting free of any lumps. Sift the confectioners' sugar by holding the sifter over a bowl. To sift sugar and eliminate lumps, turn the side hand crank in a circular motion. You can make your icing with the sugar in the bowl. [2]

   • Sugar can be whisked in a small bowl in place of a sifter when measuring out ingredients.

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   Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Mix the two ingredients with an electric mixer and then add them to the butter and cream cheese. When you're done, the confectioners' sugar should not have any clumps or uneven spots. [3]

   • You can avoid making a mess by putting the sugar in the bowl. 1⁄4 at the rate of one cup (59 ml) at a time Powder could be kicked into the air if you pour it in all at once and start the mixer.

4. 4

   Slowly incorporate the milk into the frosting until it reaches a spreading consistency. One tablespoon (15 ml) of milk is a good place to start when making this recipe. Adding another tablespoonful (15 ml) of milk may be necessary if the frosting is too thick. Iterate until the desired consistency is reached. [4]

   • Make sure the icing is thick enough that it won't run, but not so thick that it's difficult to spread.

5. 5

   Refrigerating the icing for up to two weeks is recommended. You can store the icing in the refrigerator in a sealed bag or container if you don't plan on using it right away. [5] Whether you see mold spots or the icing feels hard and stale, it's time to toss it.

   • When stored properly, icing can be frozen for months.

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1. 1

   Have a 225°F (107°C) oven ready. To give your oven time to preheat while you prepare your food, turn it on before you start. Preheating an oven usually necessitates waiting around 15 minutes. [6]

   • It may take longer for ovens that are older or less efficient to heat up.
   • You won't get any faster results by cooking the carrots at a higher temperature. Changing the oven's temperature is dangerous and can cause the carrots to dry out or burn.
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   Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and cooking spray. Obtain enough parchment paper to line the baking sheet and tear it off. To keep the carrots from sticking to the baking sheet, spray a light coating of cooking spray over it. [7]

   • In the oven, you can use a sheet pan of any size. The 13 by 18-inch (33 by 46-centimeter) format is the most popular.
   • If you line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a thin air gap forms between the baking sheet and the paper, ensuring that your food cooks more uniformly. [8]
   • Substitute aluminum foil for parchment paper if you don't have any. Keep in mind that food baked in foil tends to cook more quickly, so adjust cooking times accordingly. [9]
3. 

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   Using a vegetable peeler, cut the carrots into 15–20 thin ribbons. To make a carrot "ribbon," place the carrot on a cutting board and firmly pull the peeler along the entire length of the carrot. Around 8-10 of these "ribbons" should be produced by each carrot. ”[10]

   • Large carrots, at least 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter 5) in circumference are ideal for not being too thin when cutting strips.
   • Please ensure that your carrots are peeled before beginning. The strips you're peeling off now aren't just the rind but actual pieces of carrot.
   • The length and width of the strips should be maintained as consistently as possible. Doing so will guarantee uniform cooking.
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   4

   To make one serving, bring a cup of water and a cup of sugar to a boil. Put the contents of the bowl into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Hold off stirring until the bottom of the pan begins to fill with large bubbles. When something is boiling, you can see steam because the water is evaporating. [11]

   • Constant stirring is required to prevent sugar from congealing at the base of the pan.
   • With sugar in the mix, the time it takes to boil the water will be longer than if you were boiling water by itself.
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   The carrots should be added to the saucepan and cooked at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Be careful not to get splashed by the hot liquid as you carefully lower the carrots into the sugar water. Cover the pan but turn the heat down to medium-low so the liquid is just simmering. [12]

   • When tiny bubbles form steadily in a liquid, we call it a simmer. [13]
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   Let the carrots cool for 5 minutes after draining them in a strainer. Carefully empty the contents of the saucepan into a strainer placed in the sink. Only the carrot sticks will be left. Toss them gently in the strainer to get rid of the excess water. [14]

   • For this purpose, a strainer of any material will do, from plastic to wire mesh. In order to prevent the carrot strips from falling through the strainer, the slots must be too small.
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   In a 1 x 2 inch (2.5 cm) spaced 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a greased baking sheet Don't let any of the strips cross over or overlapping. When placed on parchment paper, the strips should be flat. [15]

   • Carrots will become soggy or undercooked if they are overcrowded on the baking sheet. [16]

8. 8

   For 30 minutes in the oven, carrots should be baked. Carrots will cook most evenly if they are placed on a baking sheet and baked in the center of the oven. Carrots can easily burn, so keep an eye on them. [17]

   • Once cooked, the carrots will take on a translucent quality.

9. 9

   Raise the temperature of the oven and take the carrots out. Use an oven mitt to remove the baking sheet from the oven after the 30 minutes have passed. Carrots are best served warm, but not scalding. [18]

   • Put your finger on a strip. Return the carrots to the oven if you find that the center is still slightly firm. To achieve the curls, they must be limp.
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    Curl the carrots by winding them around the stem of a spoon. Loosely spiral one carrot strip at a time around the handle. Once you've finished with one strip, slide it off the handle and set it aside. [19]

    • Curls made with a smaller spoon will be tighter, while those made with a larger, thicker spoon will be looser.
    • When you take the carrots out of the oven, do this right away. To get perfect curls, you need to work quickly, before the carrots cool and become unmanageable.
    • Carrot curls taste better when sprinkled with sugar.

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    Wait 30 minutes for the carrot curls to cool down completely. Leave the curls to dry and cool at room temperature. The spiral shape will be destroyed if they are moved before they have cooled. In a pinch, you can speed up the cooling process by placing them in the refrigerator. [20]

    • The curls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if they are not used right away.

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1. 

   1

   The cake should be frosted while being rotated on a turntable. Make sure the turntable is sitting on a flat, level surface. If you put a sheet of wax paper under the turntable, you won't have to worry about crumbs or icing falling through. [21]

   • A turntable can be purchased from any hobby shop, department store, or online vendor.
   • A lazy Susan can serve as a makeshift turntable in a pinch. You can also flip the cake by hand if you put it on a large plate.
2. 

   2

   Use an offset spatula to spread a third of the frosting over the top and sides. As the first coating, it prevents crumbs from escaping and is thus called a "crumb coat." Place a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake and spread it around with the spatula. [22] Cover the entire cake so that the next layer doesn't attract crumbs.

   • Icing should be removed from the bowl using the spatula's forward edge, and spread using the spatula's flat back side.
   • To prevent crumbs from contaminating the rest of the icing, transfer the crumb coat icing to a separate, smaller bowl before beginning. [23]
   • Since no one will be able to see the icing after the walnuts are pressed into the sides of the cake, a crumb coat is unnecessary.

3. 3

   Allow the first cake layer to harden in the refrigerator for 30–45 minutes. Store the cake in the fridge with a cake dome or airtight container until the crumb coat has hardened. If you don't wait for the icing on the first layer to set, you'll just smear the crumbs into the second layer when you try to ice it. [24]

   • Fully encasing the cake is required. A cake stored in the fridge risks having its interior dried out due to the cold air.
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   Using the spatula, add two more layers of frosting to the cake. When the crumb coat has set, you can add a second and third layer of frosting using an offset spatula to cover the entire cake. Since these are the layers that will be on display, they need to be more refined and substantial than the crumb coat. Spread the frosting evenly by rotating a turntable. [25]

   • To prevent the frosting from smearing, chill the cake in between these two layers, just as you did after applying the crumb coat.
   • After each time you move the spatula across the cake, clean it.
   • You should reserve some of the icing in a separate bowl right now if you intend to pipe a border around the cake.
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   Make a rim of icing and pipe it on using a piping tip around the outside of the cake. Spread icing into a piping bag with a spoon. You should be holding the piping bag at a 45 degree angle and squeezing it gently. You can make a border by rotating the turntable while you smoke a pipe. [26]

   • Remove excess air bubbles from the frosting by squeezing some out onto a paper towel. [27]
   • Piping tips come in a wide range of sizes, and can be found at most craft and kitchen supply stores. With smaller points, you can make a finer edge, and with larger ones, you can make a more substantial one.
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   Stuff the cake's sides with chopped walnuts and frost them. Take a handful of chopped walnuts and evenly distribute them over the icing by pressing them onto the side with your fingers. You need to make sure that the frosting completely covers the cake. [28]

   • In place of walnuts, you can use pecans if you prefer.
   • In order to bring out their full flavor, walnuts should be toasted. Place walnuts on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for 7 to 10 minutes to toast them. Constantly stirring will prevent them from burning. [29]
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   Top the cake with nutmeg, candied carrots, and coconut. Sprinkle them around the cake's edge, make a mound in the middle, or cover the entire surface. [30]

   • Complete this step right before presenting the cake to your guests. The cake's decorations might go stale if you put them on too early.

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