The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Louisiana Cuisines

  • Home
  • Recipe List
  • Tripping & Talking
  • Reviews & Recommendations
  • Privacy Policy

Carrot Pumpkin Cake

October 23, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

I love one layer cakes and a spicy one layer cake with pumpkin and carrot….what could go wrong? Ok, you could burn it or drop it upside down on a dirty kitchen floor (and really, is there any other kind of kitchen floor?) but otherwise this Carrot Pumpkin Cake is a quick to make winner. And it does not need to be round. You can bake it in your standard square brownie pan, adjusting baking time for the size of the pan.

To start you want to beat the eggs, sugars, and oil until very light. This will ensure a lighter texture. The pumpkin puree and buttermilk need to be mixed well and added alternately with the sifted flour and spices. As for the spices you can use what I’ve suggested or add some extras. I once put in an extra teaspoon of cardamom and it was great.

The recipe calls for sultana raisins which are fat and juicy and are my favorites but you could substitute small black raisins or even chopped dates in equal amounts. Soaking the raisins before folding them into the cake makes them even juicier and if you pass on the bourbon soak, try some orange juice or water with a little vanilla in it, or some orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Be creative!

When it comes to the walnuts you may put some in the batter but I prefer a rough chop and then an application to the sides. Another option would be to ice only the top of the cake and then cover that completely with the nuts. And although it doesn’t call for it in the recipe I splashed out and bought some gold lustre powder and glitter bombed the nuts before adding them to the cake. Very festive.

I can’t close this without mentioning my special love for this icing. It’s butter cream and cream cheese – not too sweet – and with the vanilla and orange flavoring it’s very good. I ate fingerfuls of the leftovers so there’s that for proof.

Since this year’s Halloween is likely to be a low key affair with little to no gatherings or trick or treaters try gathering the family to taste this delicious cake.

Carrot Pumpkin Cake
 
Print
Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
  • For the Cake:
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup toasted walnut oil (or other neutral oil)
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree*
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tsps. ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups grated carrots (on a box or hand grater, not food processor)
  • ½ cup white sultana raisins, soaked in bourbon
  • For the Icing:
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (or orange juice)
  • 1¼ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. For the cake:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
  3. Grease a 9" springform pan & line with parchment; set aside.
  4. In a large bowl combine the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla, beat well to combine, about 4 minutes. Mixture should be light.
  5. Whisk together the pumpkin and buttermilk.
  6. Sift together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir into the wet ingredients in three parts alternating with the pumpkin buttermilk mixture; stir until just combined. Batter will be thick. Add in the carrots and raisins; gently fold together until incorporated.
  7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake cake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and set, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
  8. For the icing:
  9. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until completely smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added beat on high-speed for 1-2 minutes.
  10. Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting over the cake, decorate with nuts, then slice and serve. Store this cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
*Some pumpkin purees are watery some are not. If you open the can and see that it is strain for 20 minutes or so over a bowl.
3.4.3177

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts Tagged With: Carrot Pumpkin cake, pumpkin carrot cake

Turkey Poulette

Turkey Poulette

Personal Picks

  • Turkey Poulette
  • Mussolini Sandwich
  • Corn off the Cob Cakes
  • Chicken Mull
  • Salted Steens Ice Cream

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me

Hello, I'm Carine Clary and I'm the FrangloSaxon.

And is that a word? In a word - Yes! It reflects my French connections in the south part of the state and the Anglo Saxon ones on the Arkansas state line. I grew up eating & loving all the foods of Louisiana and the idea is to collect lots of them right here on this website.

What you'll find here is food that reflects everybody's cooking. Creole we know. Cajun we know. But how about Croatian or Vietnamese....or Italian or German....or the underestimated plain Southern food they do so well in the upstate parishes?

They're all part of who we are so pull up your chair and join me for some good eats!

Search the FrangloSaxon

Search by Holiday

  • Bastille Day
  • Christmas
  • Fourth of July
  • Mardi Gras
  • New Year's
  • Revillon
  • St. Joseph's Day
  • Tet
  • Thanksgiving

Search by Tradition

  • Cajun
  • Creole
  • Croatian
  • German
  • Greek
  • Italian
  • Southern
  • Vietnamese
  • African
  • French
  • Turkish
  • Mexican
  • Irish
  • Links I Like

    • The Homesick Texan
    • Acadiana Table
    • Southern Souffle
    • Savory Spices
    • Well Being Secrets
    • Deep South Dish

Recent Posts

  • Cajun Potato Andouille Soup
  • Cheddar Chive Popovers
  • Calvados Chicken
  • Carrot Pumpkin Cake
  • Shrimp Stew

Popular Posts

Chicken Mull

Chicken Mull is the old name for Stewed Chicken in milk. It’s also sometimes called Jallop.  This is a cold weather, church supper dish that has spread from its Georgia Carolina origins and now pops up in a few other spots. If you want your kids to come home on their college breaks, make sure… 

Read More »

Back in pre World War II days it was actually possible to find restaurants in New Orleans which served something called Mussolini sandwiches. Say what?? It is true and I have the ad to prove it. I thought it would be fun to recreate but needless to say there is no record anywhere that I… 

Read More »

A Vietnamese style cucumber salad that looks elegant and tastes really good. For some reason I’ve found that the dressing tastes better after it’s had a chance to set a spell, so if you have the time you should make it a day ahead or at least a couple of hours ahead but don’t add… 

Read More »

Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp

I don’t want to sound like a cranky old diner waitress here – but to fully appreciate this recipe there should be no substitutions. Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp is a relatively simple stir fry but the full rich flavor comes from the interplay of the flavorings and the fats. Specifically, the fat in the shrimp heads and the… 

Read More »

Sicilian Citrus Artichokes

Summertime! Time to give voice to your inner Sicilian. And what is he asking for? Perhaps a fresh steamed artichoke anointed with a golden sauce made of olive oil, orange, tangerine and lemon. So imagine you’re dining al fresco in a seaside trattoria in Palermo watching the fishermen rolling up their nets in the setting sun…. 

Read More »

I’m posting about a week after the usual King Cake cutoff date, but there is a good reason. And it’s not because the little King Cake fairy below took so long to get beautiful for her close up! No plastic baby here. She’s a french fève so it’s worth the wait since it looks like… 

Read More »

  • Home
  • Recipe List
  • Tripping & Talking
  • Reviews & Recommendations
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress