NAKED GINGERBREAD CRUMBLE CARROT CAKE

YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT

Making a birthday cake is a daunting task. It’s not necessarily about the baking part but more the fear of people liking it. It goes beyond that, the cake can be the perfect version of itself but you may have guests that just don’t like chocolate (for example). I polled my die-hard chocolate lovers in the family and everyone was also into the idea of carrot cake. I guess no matter what, carrot cake is that great common ground. Even the kids were loving it (and the mama’s loved that the kids were eating carrots)—wins all around!

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NAKED GINGERBREAD CRUMBLE CARROT CAKE

Yield: 8-10

Author: Michelle Williams

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

FOR THE CARROT CAKE

• All Purpose Flour (2 cups)
• Baking Powder (2 tsp)
• Baking Soda (1/4 tsp)
• Salt (1/2 tsp)
• Ground Cinnamon (2 tsp)
• Ground Ginger (1 1/2 tsp)
• Ground Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)
• Ground Cloves (1/8 tsp)
• Dark Brown Sugar (1 cup, packed)
• White Sugar (1 cup)
• Vegetable Oil (1 1/4 cups)
• Eggs (4 large, room temperature)
• Pure Vanilla Extract (2 tbsp)
• Grated Carrots (3 cups - roughly 5 carrots)
• Butter Spray

FOR THE MAPLE FROSTING

• Unsalted Butter (1 stick, room temperature)
• Full Fat Cream Cheese (16 oz aka 2 packs)
• Confectioners Sugar (4 cups)
• Pure Maple Syrup (1 tsp)
• Lemon Zest (1 1/2 tbsp)

FOR THE TOPPING

• Gingerbread Cookies (either store bought or get my recipe here)

Instructions

TO MAKE YOUR CARROT CAKE BATTER

1. Preheat your oven to 350º.
2. Sift your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves into your mixing bowl.
3. Add salt.
4. In your stand mixer with your paddle attachment, mix together your sugars and oil.
5. Add your eggs and vanilla and allow to mix until they are fully incorporated—about 2 minutes.
6. In batches, incorporate your flour mixture into your wet sugar mixture making sure that each batch is fully mixed in before adding more.
7. Transfer your batter into you mixing bowl and fold in your shredded carrots.

TO BAKE YOUR CARROT CAKE

1. Liberally spray your pans with your butter spay.
2. Pour an even amount of batter into each pan.
3. Bake for 45 minutes—or until golden and you can stick a toothpick in and have only crumbs come out on it, not batter.
4. Transfer them to your cooling rack. Allow your cakes to cool to room temperature before you frost them.

TO MAKE YOUR FROSTING

1. In your stand mixer with your whisk attachment, cream together your cream cheese and butter until they are fully incorporated.
2. On a slow speed, add your maple syrup.
3. In batches, add in your confectioner’s sugar until it is an even frosting texture.
4. Add your lemon zest.

TO ASSEMBLE YOUR CAKE

1. Cut a thin layer off of the tops of your cakes to even them out until they are flat.
2. Spread a thick layer of your cream cheese frosting over each cake layer.
3. Crumble your gingerbread cookies in your food processor and then sprinkle them on top of the frosting on two layers of your cake (not the top one).
4. Stack your cake layers and smush them down slightly to force some of the frosting out of the sides. Use your frosting spatula to evenly spread your frosting around the edges of your cake. You’ll still want to see through it in most places to get that naked cake feel.
5. Top with a gingerbread cookie topper.
6. YOU NAILED IT!

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