Bourbon Carrot Cake

Posted by bettyboop50 at recipegoldmine.com April 2001

Source: A Home Bakery - courtesy of Les Kincaid

This sounds like a wonderful and delicious cake to make for entertaining.Looking forward to trying it out.

Cake
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup bourbon
2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
8 medium size carrots, peeled and coarsely
    shredded (4 1/2 cups)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons ground walnuts

Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet softened butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine raisins and bourbon in a small bowl and set aside for 1 hour.

Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, mixing well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat canola oil, sugar, brown sugar and eggs until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined. DO NOT OVER-BEAT. Drain raisins, reserving the bourbon.

With spatula fold in 3 cups carrots, the raisins, and 1 cup walnuts. Mixing well. Divide batter between pans. Bake layers 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks and remove pans, cool cakes.

In a small saucepan, combine reserved bourbon and remaining 1 1/2 cups carrots. Cook over high heat 2 to 3 minutes or just until carrots soften and most of the bourbon evaporates, set aside to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and slowly beat in confectioners' sugar until totally combined and smooth.

Place 1 cake layer on serving plate and spread 1/3 of the frosting over top. Place other layer evenly on top of frosted layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle bourbon carrot shreds on top and sides of frosted cake. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons of walnuts around bottom edge of cake to form a border.