Inside Out Carrot Cake©

They say that necessity is the mother of invention.  It certainly was in this case.  I love carrot cake and wanted to make one for my husband to take and share with his training group.  However, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is messy and I didn't want him to have to worry about squishing the cake.  So I thought about it and realized that I needed to put the icing on the inside.  Once this was decided I came up with my very own recipe - Inside Out Carrot Cake.

Since I had such wonderful results with my Oatmeal Blueberry Raisin Cookies from Flour, I decided to base my recipe on the carrot cake in this cookbook.  I wanted to make two loaf cakes so I doubled the recipe, making changes here and there.

The standard cream cheese frosting for a carrot cake calls for powdered sugar, butter, and cream cheese but I did not think that this would stand up very well to baking.  I decided that I would whip up a small amount of cheesecake batter and use this as the middle layer in my carrot cake.  It worked perfectly.

The cake needs to cool in the pan before you remove it.  I sliced one loaf when it was still a little warm because I wanted to take photos and get I had to get it ready for my husband to take to training, and it was a little difficult because it was just too soft.  I would recommend making it the day before you need it.  I just cut another piece, strictly for research purposes of course, and it is much easier to cut and the flavor is even better today.




 The end result was a cake that combines the best of both worlds - carrot cake and cheesecake.  I think I even surprised myself as to how well it turned out.  I usually follow a recipe, making a few small changes here and there.  I have never really come up with a concept before and have it come to fruition.

Inside Out Carrot Cake©

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Cheesecake Layer:

• 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Cake:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 4 cups tightly packed shredded carrots
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preparation

Cheesecake Layer:

1. Place cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and mix until well blended.
2. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cake:

1. Position rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°F.
2. Prepare two loaf pan with butter and flour, or line with parchment.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment beat together eggs and brown sugar on medium-high speed for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mixture is light and thick.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla.
5. On low speed slowly pour the oil mixture into the egg-sugar mixture.
6. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all spices.  
7. Using a spatula fold flour mixture into the egg mixture, stopping just before it is completely incorporated.  
8. Add carrots, raisins, and pecans and continue to fold until everything is mixed in well.
9. Pour 1 carrot cake batter layer into each of the two loaf pans (approximately 2 cups per pan).
10. Top with a layer of the cheesecake mixture in each pan, using a spatula to gently smooth it out in the pan.
11. Finish with another layer of the carrot cake batter (approximately another two cups per pan).
12. Bake cakes for approximately 1 hour.  
13. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Recipe by All That's Left Are The Crumbs©