GRAHAM CARROT CAKE

This is a BIG cake. Make for a large crowd. Not for your dad...like I did.
Makes: 10 servings                                                                                         Takes: 1 hour

GRAHAM CARROT CAKE

Makes: 10 servings
​Time: 1 hour
Cake:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
  • ​3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons neutral oil or melted butter 
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 cups peeled and grated carrots 
Frosting
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cake:
  1. Heat oven to 350°F and line three 9-inch cake pans with a round of parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you don't have three pans, because no one does, just wait for the cake to cool, remove and repeat!
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, graham crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil and eggs until smooth. Mix in grated carrots. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until flour just disappears. 
  3. Pour batter evenly between three prepared baking pans. Bake each layer for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester comes out clean (cake will seem sticky on top). Let rest in cake pans for 5 minutes on a cooling rack, then run a knife around the edges and flip cake out onto cooling rack, remove parchment paper and flip back right-side-up on another cooling rack. Repeat with remaining layers and let the cake layers cool completely before filling. 
​Frost the cake:
  1. In a mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, a little at a time. Beat in vanilla.
  2. Arrange first cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread (or pipe) with frosting; repeat with remaining layers. Let cake chill until serving.