The Ultimate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! (how to assemble the cake)

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Filed Under cake, dessert, recipe

carrot cake

“This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten!” was the reaction from my husband Graham to my latest creation. He has tasted many cakes during our 21 years together, so I pay attention when he makes a proclamation like this. I have to agree, this one is a winner! The recipe comes from Carole Bloom’s book The Essential Baker. I’ve made some minor changes to the recipe but for the most part it is hers. Too often carrot cake seems like a throw back to the 70s, when they were dense and tasted ultimately too good for you. This version is moist, sweet and has a complex combination of spices that all seem to come through. The cream cheese icing is bright and creamy. I added a bit of orange and lemon zest to the icing to bring out those flavors in the cake. I think it is an addition that is key to the success of this cake!

Pretty soon I will be harvesting carrots from my very own backyard urban farm, until then I used really nice sweet organic carrots from my co-op, which probably added something to the flavor. Carolyn, whose birthday inspired me to try this recipe, is in the camp of people who don’t like nuts in their carrot cake so I replaced them with shredded coconut. The raisins that Bloom suggests in the recipe were traded for dried cherries to tie in with the marzipan cherries that would adorn the top. Otherwise I followed this recipe from The Essential Baker:

1 pound coarsely grated carrots (I actually made mine finely grated, as you will see below.)

4 extra large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup canola oil

2/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmegs

1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts (I used shredded coconut instead, which was one of the options Bloom suggested as well)

1 cup raisins (I substituted chopped dried cherries)

Cream Cheese Frosting from Essential Baker: (I doubled this recipe to make sure I would have enough. Now I spread the leftovers on EVERYTHING!)

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Mix all ingredients together

Prepare muffin tins with papers (about 60 mini or 48 regular cupcakes) or two 9″ cake pans with parchment and oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

carrot cake

I coarsely grated the carrots in a food processor using the grater attachment.

carrot cake

I then chopped them into finer pieces with the medal blade attachment in the food processor so that the texture of the cake would be a little bit finer.

carrot cake

Mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest. Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Add the finely chopped carrots, coconut, and dried cherries.

carrot cake

Pour the batter into the prepared pans or scoop into cupcake papers (fill 3/4 full).

Bake cupcakes for about 18-25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Bake 9″ cakes for about 35-40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

carrot cake

To assemble the cake. Remove from pan and peel off the parchment paper from the bottom, place on a cardboard round. Put the cake on a cake turn table.

carrot cake

With a Wüsthof Superslicer or other thin serrated knife slice off the very top of the cake. Do this by using a sawing motion.

carrot cake

Then cut the cake in 2 or 3 equal layers. Slide the layers onto a cardboard round or any other flat surface. The false bottom of a tart pan works perfectly.

carrot cake

Put about 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese icing.

carrot cake

Using an offset spatula spread the frosting evenly over the surface of the first layer. Repeat for the rest of the layers.

carrot cake

Place about 2 cups of the icing on the top of the cake and spread evenly.

carrot cake

Spread the icing onto the sides of the cake.

carrot cake

Lift the cake off the turn table and place on the serving platter.

carrot cake

Using the spatula spread the frosting and create swirls on the cake. This cream cheese frosting is very soft so you won’t want to try for anything too exacting.

carrot cake

I pressed coconut onto the sides and sprinkled the top.

carrot cake

Here are the mini cupcakes I made for Carolyn’s birthday. I got these great cupcake papers from Sweet Celebrations.

carrot cake

Here they are adorned with marzipan cherries.

carrot cake

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Comments

89 Responses to “The Ultimate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! (how to assemble the cake)”

04/27/08 9:16 pm	Tartelette said... Hi Zoe! I have been reading your site for over almost an hour now…beautiful! I am a relativel new convert to carrot cake (we eat more Operas then carrot cake where I come from) but I am loving the multitude of interpretations out there. Gorgeous!
04/27/08 9:52 pm	zoe said... Hi Tartelette, Wow, thank you for visiting my site. I hope you are inspired to try this version of carrot cake. It really is special! I adore opera torte as well! Zoë Your website is gorgeous! http://www.tartelette.blogspot.com/
04/27/08 11:31 pm	kellypea said... I have been pining for a carrot cake, or carrot muffins, or cupcakes…What an amazing cake. It’s gorgeous! It could just end up as cupcakes at my house. I’ll let you know! Oh, and I think I found you at Wild Yeast…yes?
04/28/08 12:32 am	Jane said... Hi Zoe, The cake looks great! Just curious, was the original frosting recipe enough or would you double it again? Thanks, Jane
04/28/08 8:17 am	zoe said... Hi Kellypea, Let me know how your cake/muffins/cupcakes come out! I just discovered WildYeast yesterday, what a wonderful site! I also saw your tasty entry to Tastespotting yesterday as well? So many lovely things being baked. http://sassandveracity.typepad.com/ Thanks, Zoë
04/28/08 8:20 am	zoe said... Hi Jane, Yes, I am addicted to the cream cheese frosting! I put it on toast and slathered it on cinnamon rolls that I made out of the brioche dough from Artisan Bread in Five. Enjoy! Zoë
04/28/08 9:00 am	Amanda said... Hey Zoe, as always, I enjoy your posts. I’ve faithfully read all your posts via RSS and I noticed that you have been using Carole Bloom’s book, The Essential Baker, quite frequently. What is your consensus on this book? Is it worth the 35 or 45 bucks?
04/28/08 9:49 am	zoe said... Hi Amanda, I do like this book. I am having a difficult time following the recipes to the absolute letter, but that is always an issue for me. I usually look at a recipe for inspiration and not the final word! I think the book is really well written and the recipes incredibly easy to follow. I’ve made nearly a dozen things from it and they have all come out well and in some cases I will replace my old faithful for one of these. So in the end I do think it is worth it! Enjoy, Zoë
04/28/08 1:24 pm	Patricia Scarpin said... Zoe, that is a yummy cake – it looks so delicious!
04/28/08 1:42 pm	zoe said... Hi Patricia, Yeah, my husband pretty much ate the entire thing in a day! Thanks, Zoë
04/28/08 1:58 pm	grace said... i’m enjoying your generous layers of icing because for me, carrot cake is a vehicle for cream cheese icing. i tasty vehicle, mind you, but a vehicle nonetheless.
04/28/08 2:00 pm	zoe said... Hi Grace, I find myself actually dipping a spoon into the leftovers. This icing would be fantastic on devil’s food cake as well, but the spoon works too! Zoë
04/29/08 4:01 pm	ESmith said... I found your site through your ‘Artisan Bread’ site. Just got my ‘Artisan’ book and am so excited about trying all the recipes on it. I have ordered them from the Amazon USA because they are not available yet in any bookshop in the UK. I waited for a couple of weeks though. You guys should come and a do a book tour in the UK. It would be a big hit! Been reading your posts for almost an hour now and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I must say that this carrot cake looks so yummy. Have to try it this weekend. I love carrot cake! Lovely pictures by the way.
04/29/08 4:56 pm	zoe said... Hi ESmith, I am so thrilled that you will be trying out the bread from our book. Please let me know how it goes and let me know if you have any questions. We would love nothing more than to come to the UK to do a book tour! In fact I will suggest it to our publisher. Stranger things have happened! This carrot cake really is wonderful. Enjoy! Zoë
04/30/08 8:22 am	Tempered Woman said... First off~ your site is absolutely beautiful Love it. I clicked through Tastespotting cause I saw the carrot cake. This looks fabulous! I think I prefer this recipe to the Dorie Greenspan one. I really like the idea of using orange zest as well as lemon in the frosting~ YUM!
04/30/08 11:56 am	zoe said... Hey Tempered Woman, Thanks for stopping by. I do love this recipe. I’ll have to make Dorie’s and do a comparison of the two. Just an excuse to have another cake in the house! Enjoy! Zoë
05/3/08 12:28 am	Tricia Cottle said... I am so excited!! Yipee!! Our /50 and older husbands play hockey on Sunday afternoons and after their quite (childish) squabble and play and Bull Corn about who played the best. We settle down on the truck beds, or lawn chairs or practically anywhere to tail gate after their hockey. We drink a few cool ones and cook something on the grill. We usually each bring something different. Some make their own burgers. We marinate really hot HOT links and other things and bring all of our concoctions together and share all of it. This cake will just take the FINAL STAGE!! Thank you so much!! I work for Southwest Airlines so I will share the recipe with all of my friends-if you don’t mind?? Patricia Cottle Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Thank You Zoe!!! We love you!!
05/3/08 2:36 pm	zoe said... Hi Patricia, Sounds like a lot of fun. I hope all of your friends enjoy the cake, both behind the truck and in the air. Thank you so much! Zoë
05/8/08 9:18 pm	Katharine Smith-Warren said... Any suggestions for baking the cake in Denver (5280 ft)?
05/9/08 6:12 am	zoe said... Hi Katharine, Not yet, but I will look into it and get back to you. The cake is worth it! Thanks, Zoë
06/5/08 9:39 pm	B Cohn said... Because of this cake I am now considered the expert baker at church. This is quit a compliment considering that I not only am the youngest baker at the church by 30 years, but I also just started baking cakes four months ago. That should be enough to tell you how amazing this cake recipe is. Thank you Zoe!
06/9/08 8:24 am	zoe said... Hi B Cohn, I agree, this cake is great and easy to put together. Glad it has gained you fame at church. Zoë
09/3/08 6:46 am	burepe said... Beautiful cake. I am going to make it for my girlfriend’s birthday tomorrow. You said you doubled the cream cheese recipe. Is the cream cheese recipe on this site the original or the doubled one?
09/3/08 12:37 pm	zoe said... Hi Burepe, This was a single recipe. It will cover the cake, but I LOVE the frosting and wanted a thicker layer than she called for. Happy Birthday to your friend and enjoy the cake! Zoë
10/14/08 4:52 pm	Carole Bloom said... Hi Zoe, I’m delighted that you’re having so much fun and delicious success with the recipes from my book, The Essential Baker! I have a new book, Bite-Size Desserts, that will be out in early April next year. I hope you’ll enjoy that one too. Carole
10/14/08 6:08 pm	zoe said... Hi Carole, Thanks for stopping by. People have loved your book and this recipe! Thanks, Zoë
10/22/08 10:54 am	' + title + ' - ' + basename(imgurl) + '(' + w + 'x' + h +') said... [...] in pastry chef tricks that cookbooks rarely mention. She often does this by including tons of step-by-step photos. It’s a teaching practice that I respond to as someone who learns more by watching rather [...]
10/22/08 1:56 pm	Sandy S said... Everything about this post is a pleasure! Those beautiful carrots, that amazing skip-the-cake-gimme-the-spoon frosting, the fact that your sweater cuff in the picture is NOT wearing more frosting than the cake itself. So well done! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
10/22/08 5:46 pm	zoe said... Thank you to Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune for making this cake and sharing it with all of his readers! http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/farmreport/2008/10/22/a-second-and-ultimate-carrot-cake-via-zoe-francois/ Thanks! Zoë
10/22/08 5:47 pm	zoe said... Hi Sandy, Thank you so much and be sure to make a double batch of the icing! Enjoy, Zoë
10/23/08 9:21 pm	Beth said... I forgot to mention along with my previous cake question that, alas, Sweet Celebrations (the source for those cute cupcake papers and all things wonderful having to do with pastry craft) has gone out of business after many years, as of 10/2008.
10/23/08 11:04 pm	zoe said... Hi Beth, I know it is an awful loss for us locally! I will now have to find another source and order online. I used to drive right to the warehouse. Thanks, Zoë
11/15/08 7:59 pm	Areta said... I am really looking forward to making this cake. I was a little confused when you said the recipe is for 2 9″ pans. The cake shows three layers. Does the recipe make 2 cakes or does the one cake have 4 layers and my vision is bad. Also, have you been able to find out about high altitude. I live in Colorado Springs.
11/15/08 10:53 pm	zoe said... Hi Areta, I can’t believe you are the first to call me on this! I used an 8″ x 3″ cake pan, which is taller than most pans and will yield about the same as the 2 9-inch pans I called for. You can use either. I assume most people don’t have these deeper pans, but if you do they work wonderfully. You may just have to bake the cake for slightly longer. Sorry if that was confusing! Enjoy the cake, it is fantastic! Zoë
11/25/08 10:44 pm	Mercina said... Love this! I thought I had a good recipe for carrot cake, but this looks scrumptious! I love the use of coconut on the icing, it adds a nice touch.
12/14/08 10:18 am	Jeanean said... Zoe, I guessed by the photo that you used the 8 X 3 inch pan to make this cake with 3 layers. I tried it by increasing the baking time but the center didn’t get done. Please let me know how your altered the time and/or temp. Thanks!
12/14/08 10:38 am	zoe said... Thank you Mercina! Hi Jeanean, I’m sorry your cake didn’t bake all the way through! When you switch to using one, super high sided cake pan you sometimes need to give as much as an extra 50% to the baking time. This cake in a 8-inch x 3-inch pan can take 50-60 minutes to bake. The absolute test is to stick a skewer through the middle and it should come out clean or with dry crumbs, nothing wet! One other thing to test is your oven temperature. Make sure you bake with an oven thermometer. It really is worth trying again! I love this cake!! Thanks, Zoë
01/29/09 2:31 pm	Eating My Vegetables « Informal Blathering said... [...] recipe was adapted from the carrot cake recipe posted by Zoe Francois. I kept her substitution of coconut for chopped nuts in the actual cake, but omitted the dried [...]
01/29/09 2:34 pm	anna said... I tried this cake recipe out using rainbow carrots – it’s fantastic! Definitely something I’ll make again. http://informalblathering.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/eating-my-vegetables/
01/31/09 2:32 pm	Arlette said... Hello Zoe I just baked a similar cake but I added crushed pineapple as well, the rest is the same, and baked the cake in a 10 inch trays (made two cakes in the same pan) I am using the same frosting as well. Have you ever tried to make a rose from this frosting do you think it will work like the ganache… the cake is for my motherin law 70s birthday.. I will take some pictures if i remember before they cut it.
01/31/09 2:44 pm	zoe said... Hi Arlette, I’m afraid this icing is too soft to pipe. There just isn’t enough structure to keep the shape of a rose. You can make a buttercream icing for the roses that will match in color to the cream cheese icing. Happy Birthday to your MIL! Please do take pictures! Zoë So glad you are enjoying the book!
02/2/09 9:00 am	Shaw Girl said... This looks amazing! My sister loves carrot cake but I was never a fan because it always tasted dry. I may have to give this a try!
02/3/09 10:55 pm	zoe said... Hi Shaw Girl, This cake is not at all dry tasting! Give it a try and you will become a convert! Thanks, Zoë
02/11/09 9:58 pm	Jackie said... Hi Zoe Did you use tart dried cherries or sweet dried cherries. Also if using 2 9×2 inch cake pans do I still need to cut the cake layers in half. When you say to use parchment and oil to grease the pans do you mean solid vegetable shortening or regular vegetable oil. Because I’ve never use vegetable oil to grease cake pans.
02/11/09 10:06 pm	zoe said... Hi Jackie, If you use 2 9×2 pans you will not need to cut them in half. I use regular vegetable oil, but shortening will work beautifully as well! The spray is great too. Enjoy! Zoë
02/13/09 12:34 am	Jackie said... Hi Zoe Did you use tart dried cherries or sweet dried cherries in the recipe.
02/13/09 8:47 am	zoe said... Hi Jackie, Oooops, I forgot to answer this the first time you asked! I used tart ones, but really I think either will do nicely! Cheers, Zoë
04/10/09 12:35 pm	Sharon said... Tried this cake a second time again for a dear friend’s B’day who loves carrots & she loved it!! Of all the 4 carrot cake recipes ‘ve tried so far, this has the best flavor & pleasant afternotes. Thanks Zoe,for sharing it.
04/14/09 11:57 pm	Faith said... If anyone in the Twin Cities area is too lazy to make this cake, Cupcake makes a pretty mean carrot cupcake. With a mass quantity of very good cream cheese icing.
04/26/09 11:25 am	Laura Levy said... This is so ironic… I have been looking for the “ultimate carrot cake recipe” googled, and came right back to your page!! I love this website… I will try to make this – this week… I’m not a shredded coconut fan.. any creative substitutions? It looks so pretty on the frosting.
04/26/09 3:21 pm	Eating My Vegetables « verysmallanna.com said... [...] recipe was adapted from the carrot cake recipe posted by Zoe Francois. I kept her substitution of coconut for chopped nuts in the actual cake, but omitted the dried [...]
04/26/09 5:38 pm	zoe said... Hi Laura, I adore this recipe and hope you will love it as well. If you are looking for a way to decorate without the coconut you could toast some chopped nuts and press them into the sides of the cake. You could also leave the sides very simple and just do some decorative piping on the top. It might also be cool to do a very smooth icing and make a stencil and dust a combination of powdered sugar and cinnamon over it. Let me know how you like it! Thanks, Zoë
04/27/09 7:44 am	Laura Levy said... Thank you Zoe! And please… run out and buy that Big Green Egg right now! I know people bake on them – but I’ve never tried since I suffer from bake-a-phobia! May I post this recipe and photos on my blog with all the appropriate credits and links? I’m dying to try and post this recipe but want to follow your instructions to the letter since I am not an experienced baker. BTW.. ordered your book on Amazon yesterday – can’t wait to read it!
04/27/09 10:23 am	zoe said... Hi Laura, I can’t wait to see your version of this carrot cake! let me know when you have it up on your blog. Thanks for giving the book a try. Thanks, Zoë
05/8/09 1:02 am	Jessica James said... Hello Zoe, I am goin to attempt to make this carrot cake for my boyfriends bday…i have never baked a cake from scratch…can I ommit the raisins and add a lil more nuts or will the cake fall or something?? Please help:)
05/8/09 6:09 am	zoe said... Hi Jessica, By all means take out the raisins and replace them with whatever he likes. You don’t even need to replace them, just bake without if you think he’d prefer it. Happy Birthday to him and have fun baking! Zoë
05/19/09 3:12 pm	Nakale said... The cake looks luscious and tempting. I will make this for my husband when he returns from the Middle East. He loves carrot cake. Thank you very much.
05/27/09 8:09 pm	Carrot Cake and Yogurt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting–Gah! « Pragmatic Attic said... [...] Cake and Yogurt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting–Gah! By pragmaticattic I made the carrot cake at Zoe Bakes (from Carole Bloom’s The Essential Baker). I was a little perplexed when I put the batter in [...]
06/3/09 6:33 pm	Laura said... The cake was delicious (I finally posted some pictures). Thanks Zoe!
06/15/09 11:08 am	jo said... Hi Zoe, I have been searching for carrot cake recipes to try out for my brothers wedding in July- I offered to make the cake back last year and have to say stressing a little now the date is getting nearer. Your recipe was the first I tried- no need to try any others- “fantastic” was the consensus of family and work colleagues who got to taste it. The only problem I found was that it sunk in the middle. I too used the 8″x 3″ pan. Cooked for 1 1/2 hrs which seemed alot longer than anticipated. Was concerned that outer edges of cake would dry or even burn so decided to take it out, however, was still a little raw in the middle. Wondered whether you could give me some advice on this- I would be most grateful. Kind Regards Jo
06/15/09 9:59 pm	zoe said... Hi Jo, For a wedding cake you may want to bake it in shallow pans to insure that it bakes through. I often bake mine in flat sheet pans and cut out the sizes that I need. There is more waste that way, but it gives me something to snack on. Or you can bake the layers in 2″ pans in the right dimensions of the cake layers. Here is a wedding cake data chart from wilton. I find their serving sizes a bit skimpy, but it is helpful anyway. http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm As for the one you baked in the 3″ pan. Do you have an oven thermometer to make sure that your oven is at the right temperature? It sounds like it may be running a tad cool? Hope this helps! Zoë
07/1/09 9:19 pm	camilla luckey said... Maybe at last! I’m at google page 33 trying to replace my lost recipe of 30 years. Your site is beautiful and I think your recipe will be almost the same and the icing even better. Can’t wait for morning.
07/7/09 7:16 pm	zara said... I have been trying to make the perfect tender carrot cake and finally found your recipe a few weeks back. I made it tonight and it is very tasty. Thank you for sharing!!
07/12/09 1:39 pm	jo doran said... Hi Zoe, I contacted you a month ago re- advice with cooking times. Thank you for your reply. I have now perfected the 8, 10 and 12 inch cakes for my brothers wedding which is now in just under a weeks time! My only concern is how loose the cream cheese frosting is and wondered if you have any ideas for thickening this a little? Kind Regards Jo
07/13/09 6:45 am	zoe said... Hi Jo, This icing is very sensitive to temperature. If the room is warm the icing may get loose and run. You can try making it with more cream cheese and/or butter. This will firm it up a bit, but it will still be soft if it is warm out. Or, you can add more confectioners sugar (a cup or so) to “dry” it out a bit, but this will effect the flavor. I’d play with it and let it see how it behaves. I’ve never used it for a wedding cake for this very reason. But, that is only because I have not played with it enough to be confident. It will be very tasty experiments! Zoë
07/19/09 10:50 pm	Chaya said... I wish I stopped by here, two hours ago before I baked a carrot cake. It was great but I would have loved to have tried this. I hope, next time, we want carrot cake, I will remember this recipe. Don’t you love the little orange bits shining through the cake?
07/27/09 3:50 pm	hi Zoe, said... I loved the cake recipe..guess what..i am running to store to get the carrots and stuff… This is the first time i have read ur site and I loved ur recipes. Thanks.
07/27/09 3:51 pm	hi Zoe, said... oops..forgot to mention my name..its Shweta..
07/28/09 7:24 am	zoe said... Hi Shweta, Enjoy the cake! Zoë
07/30/09 1:57 pm	Elise said... I just made the carrot cupcakes on Sunday. They came out great! I’ve been craving carrot cake for the past few months and saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. I love how you have pictures for each step. It definitely helped out a lot. Thanks, Zoe! I’ll be trying the red velvet recipe next!
08/11/09 5:10 pm	Hope Clark said... Zoe, I love your book!!!Every recipe has turned out perfect!Could you use a 13×9 pan for the carrot cake recipe? Thanks, Hope
08/17/09 6:31 am	zoe said... Hi Elise, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake and I hope you love the red velvet as well! Hi Hope, Thank you for trying the book, glad you are baking so much bread. You can bake the cake in a sheet pan, just check it after about 30 minutes. Thanks! Zoë
08/23/09 6:01 pm	Susan Dornfeld said... What is the big green egg that Laura Levy is talking about? Thanks for a great site!! Susan
08/24/09 9:12 am	zoe said... Hi Susan, The big green egg is a type of grill. http://www.biggreenegg.com/ Thank you! Zoë
09/7/09 9:41 am	mercy said... I am looking for lavender colored cupcake liners as well as large muffin size foil liners…. got any ideas? I may just have to make them myself, cant find anywhere…thanks…Mercy
09/7/09 10:34 pm	zoe said... Hi Mercy, My favorite cake supply shop went out of business and I have yet to replace them. Here are some that I found, but I’ve never ordered from them: http://www.abakersplace.com/cupcake-decorations-cupcake-liners.html Good luck! Zoë
09/16/09 4:31 pm	Peggy Merrill said... I am making the carrot cake in the morning at the suggestion of my daughter Laura who has Lauras Best Recipes. My question: How long is the baking time for mini muffins the ones that are 1.75+- inches in diameter top measurement? Thank you, Peggy Merrill
09/17/09 8:11 am	zoe said... Hi Peggy, Thank you for trying the recipe, I think they will be amazing as little cupcakes! I’d start with about 12-15 minutes and test with a toothpick to see if they are done. Enjoy! Zoë
09/29/09 7:22 pm	Tami Crews said... Zoe – Thank you so much for mentioning my website. I am a small owner and would LOVE any and all business from these fabulous people posting on your blog. Mention Zoe until December 2009 for a 10% discount on my site!
10/24/09 10:48 am	Patricia said... I would love to promote you on Twitter but I cannot find a link on your site to send to Twitter.
11/18/09 1:18 pm	Angelica said... HEY ZOE I ENJOYED READING YOUR CARROT CAKE RECIPE AND OFCOURES I WILL TRY IT OUT. I DO HAVE A QUESTION DO YOU HAVE ANY GOOD RECIPIES FOR CREAM CHEESE ICING THAT IS OF A GOOD CONSISTENCY TO DECORATE CAKES AND THAT DOESNT TASTE LIKE STORE BOUGHT BUT MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS FOR IT TO STAY ON THE CAKE AND AND BE ABLE TO DECOR WITH IT
12/4/09 5:41 am	angela said... HI. Just wondering how many days ahead can this beautiful carrot cake be made? I would like to make it for a graduation.
12/8/09 10:53 am	ChampagneHo said... Hi Zoe! This looks fabulous and I’ll be making the cupcake version this weekend for a holiday gathering. I have 3 questions please: Is it one pound of grated carrots or one pound of carrots, then grate them? Did you use unsweetened coconut? You made mini cupcakes, are those the tiny ones or something in between regular and tiny? Thank you, Diane
12/9/09 12:11 am	zoe said... Hi Diane, measure one pound of carrots (cut the ends off and peel first) then grate them. I used sweetened coconut. They are the tiny little muffin cups. I’m not sure if there is a size between the big and tiny? You have me curious to find out. Thanks and enjoy, Zoë
12/9/09 9:47 am	ChampagneHo said... Thanks so much! I’m not sure about the mini sizes either. When someone asked about cooking times for 1.75″ muffins, I started wondering if that was different than the ones you made.
12/13/09 5:57 am	angela said... HI. Just wondering how many days ahead can this beautiful carrot cake be made? I would like to make it for a graduation.
01/7/10 6:41 pm	Cindi said... Hi Zoe, I love to bake. I make a pretty mean carrot cake myself. I am interested in making some adaptions to my regular recipe for a change. What I am interested in is the cake pan you actually baked the cake in the pictures. You say 2 9″ cake pans but that is not what your pictures or directions indicate. What size is that cake pan and at what temp and time would you bake? Thanks.
01/10/10 9:10 am	zoe said... Hi Cindi, The cake pans I am using are a 9×2″ and a 9×3″, but in the end it really doesn’t matter as long as they are both 9-inch pans and I fill them equally. I give the times for baking both for the 9-inch pans and for muffins. You can choose which to use. Hope that clears things up? Enjoy! Zoë
01/10/10 9:12 am	zoe said... Hi Angela, I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, hope I didn’t miss the party! You can make the cake way ahead and freeze it, up to a month if you wrap it really well. Enjoy, Zoë