Recipe of the Month - Carrot Cake

"Your carrot cake reminds me of my grandmother’s!” is something we hear often here at D’Andrews Bakery. The smooth texture and sweet and spicy flavor combined with the luxurious mascarpone cheese frosting create the perfect delicacy.  We twisted David’s arm, and for the first time he is sharing his famous recipe, along with some fun facts about carrot cake.

D’Andrews Carrot Cake

Did you know that the history of carrot cake is believed to date back to an English carrot pudding from the 1500’s? It is also believed that George Washington ate carrot cake in a tavern in what would today be lower Manhattan in 1747 on British Evacuation Day. Historically, carrot was used as a substitute for sugar when it was difficult for people to access sugar. Because of this, carrot cake made a resurgence during World War II when sugar was scarce. 

David first learned the technique of making the cake in the style of a mayonnaise while working at Gotham Bar & Grill in NYC. That recipe used vegetable oil, but David prefers grapeseed oil for a cleaner taste. Tweaking his recipe the past few years, taking away the pineapple (although delicious) and walnuts, it was the addition of parsnips that really set his cake apart. They add a pleasant earthiness to the cake.  The use of muscovado sugar from Sri Lanka and Vietnamese cinnamon are also vital to the fantastic flavor. Consistency at the bakery is achieved by always measuring out all the ingredients with a scale, leaving no room for error.  In the recipe below, we offer both the cup and gram measurements for you.

D’Andrews Carrot Cake:

4 Whole Eggs (room temperature)

1 2/3 cups (330g) - White Sugar

1 2/3 cups (330g) - Muscovado Light Brown Sugar (Billington’s)

1 3/4 cups (400g) - Grapeseed Oil

1 1/2 tsp (7.5g) - Vanilla Extract (Madagascar)

3 TBLS (45g) - Buttermilk

Pinch (1g) - Ground Nutmeg

1 tsp (4g) - Ground Dried Ginger

1 tsp (4g) - Ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

4 tsp (20g) - Salt

2 1/2 tsp (12g) - Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp (7.5g) - Baking Powder

3 3/4 cups (480g) - AP Flour (we use King Arthur)

3 1/4 cups (400g) - Shredded Parsnips

4 cups (480g) - Shredded Carrots

2 1/2 cups (400g) - Dried Golden Raisins

1) Whisk on KA high sugars and warmed eggs for 5 min

2) Mix Oil, BM & Van- slowly pour into risen egg/sugar mixture

3) Whisk, Sift Whisk Dry and fold into mixture

4) Fold in Grated Carrots/ parsnips

5) Fold in Raisins

Bake 325 for 15 min turn 10 min

Recipe yields 1 half sheet tray

Mascarpone Frosting

1/1 cup (113.5g) Butter

2 cups (230g) 10x sugar

1/1 tsp (2g) Salt

1/2 tsp (2g) Vanilla extract

1 1/8 cup (250g) Mascarpone Cheese

Cream for 5 min room temp butter and sugar w/ salt & vanilla 

Fold in room temp mascarpone cheese

The cake is then completed with a brush of vanilla simple syrup, made with equal parts water and sugar and infused with a vanilla bean.

Try this recipe at home and be sure to tag us on social @dandrewsbakery and use #dandrews!