Q: My husband and I ate at The General Muir recently and really enjoyed the carrot cake. It was light, but still loaded with fruit and nuts. And the cream cheese frosting was delicious, not overly sweet as so many are. Can you possibly persuade them to share the recipe? I would love to make it for my husband's birthday. — Fran Harrington, Duluth
A: Indeed, the frosting on this cake uses far less sugar than most carrot cake recipes and really lets the tanginess of the cream cheese and richness of the butter shine through.
Pastry chef Chris Marconi is responsible for all the pastries at The General Muir and the recipe is hers. When sending the recipe, the restaurant noted, “It is a very well balanced cake. The baking spices, carrots, nuts and sweet tangy cream cheese frosting leave you wanting for another slice!”
This carrot cake is only available seasonally, generally around Easter and in the fall.
The General Muir’s Carrot Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
2 cups grated carrots
5 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 cup golden raisins
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3 9-inch cake pans. If you like, line bottoms with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and eggs until mixture is smooth. Whisk in oil, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Slowly whisk in flour mixture. Fold in carrots, 1 1/2 cups pecans and raisins. Divide batter between prepared cake pans and bake 20 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes away with just a few crumbs attached. Put cake pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pans and cool completely.
While cake is cooking, prepare frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, remaining teaspoon vanilla and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover frosting and set aside. Refrigerate if you won’t be frosting the cake within an hour.
In a dry skillet, toast remaining 4 cups chopped pecans until they become fragrant and turn light brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
When ready to assemble cake: Place one layer on cake plate. Spread with thin layer of frosting. Add second cake layer and spread with thin layer of frosting. Add last cake layer and spread thin layer of frosting on sides of cake, then a thicker layer on top. Press toasted pecans around sides of cake. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serves: 16
Per serving: 898 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 9 grams protein, 63 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 71 grams fat (18 grams saturated), 115 milligrams cholesterol, 397 milligrams sodium.
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