It’s hard to go wrong with carrot cake. Cream cheese frosting on top of a moist, cinnamon spice cake can be hard to resist. This version adds maple syrup to the frosting and uses pecans instead of walnuts. It’s easy to make, though grating the carrots and chopping the nuts takes a little extra time. Try doing those a day or two beforehand so you can have all the ingredients in place when you’re ready to bake.

You can also make these into cupcakes. The recipe will yield a little more than two dozen in standard-size muffin tins.

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (canola or sunflower oil if possible)
4 large eggs
3 cups peeled grated carrots (1 lb.)
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced

Frosting:
10 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered (icing) sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pans. Butter and flour the paper, then place in the pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to blend. In a large bowl, whisk sugar and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, pecans, and ginger. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off paper and cool completely.

(For cupcakes, line muffin tins with paper cups. Fill each about 2/3 full with batter and bake about 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Leave in pan for about 5 minutes, then let cool completely on wire racks.)

For the frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup. Chill until just firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread with about 3/4 cup frosting. Top with second layer, then spread remaining frosting on top and sides.

As you can see in the picture, I decorated the top with finely chopped pecans sprinkled carefully in a ring along the edge. Another idea is to leave the sides unfrosted and simply use more of the frosting on top. Placing pecan halves on top is another easy way to decorate.

I have a picture in my binder of a carrot cake with orange fondant carrots on top. I’ve always wanted to try that. Seems easy enough — just roll the fondant into little carrot shapes, place on the cake, and squirt some thin green frosting at the top of each one for the leaves. If I ever get around to making those, I’ll post the picture here!
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