Carrot Cake
Instructions
Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and shred the carrots using a food processor with a grating attachment or a box grater, then run a knife through them a few times to break them down further. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugars, oil, vanilla, eggs, and applesauce and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low until no lumps remain, then mix in the shredded carrots until evenly distributed, scraping down the sides once.
Bake the cakes: Divide the batter evenly between two 9-inch pans lined with parchment on the bottom and sprayed with pan spray. Place on a sheet tray and bake 60–70 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, about an hour, then cover and freeze for 30 minutes to 2 hours to firm up.
Make the frosting: While the cakes cool, combine the room temperature cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt, and sour cream in a mixing bowl and whip until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and cornstarch and mix until smooth and lump-free, about a minute. Refrigerate the frosting in a ziploc or piping bag to set while you prep the cakes.
Shape the layers: Remove the cooled cakes from the pans and trim the tops and bottoms flat. Use a bowl or round object slightly smaller than the cakes as a guide to trim the edges into clean vertical sides.
Assemble and finish: Place one cake layer on a turntable (a dab of frosting underneath keeps it from sliding). Spread a ½-inch layer of frosting in an even layer to the edges, then top with the second cake layer. Apply a thin crumb coat over the whole cake to seal in crumbs. Finish with a generous, even layer of frosting over the cake. Press chopped pecans onto the sides of the cake, scraping off any excess from the bottom edge.
Tip: Freezing the cakes between steps makes trimming much easier, with fewer crumbs showing up in the frosting.