Making a Comeback: Carrot Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted in Desserts by

I’M BAA-AACK!!! OMG, guys, I am so, so, so sorry for not posting in like a WHOLE YEAR. (Like what is wrong with me???) There is truly no excuse for me being so inactive, but imma try anyway. You see, when I started this blog two years ago, balancing it with school was super easy, but this past year of school was way more difficult and time consuming than the year before, and I just couldn’t find the time to ever work on my blog (and if I did have time, I honestly didn’t want to work on my blog because that would entail more writing and sitting at a computer typing…) BUT, now that it’s summer, I got some time! So here I am. Me again. Oh, and you may have noticed from the title, I’m “making a comeback.” And this phrase doesn’t just pertain to me; it also refers to Carrot Cake’s comeback. You see, there’s a lot of stigma surrounding carrot cake. Everyone thinks it’s just some gross old people food and don’t forget the basic principal of a carrot cake – vegetables in cake??? Ew, gross. But that’s where you’re wrong my friend…

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I’ve always been a fan of carrot cake. Now for those of you who just threw up a little because the idea of carrots inside cake creeps you out, you’ve gotta hear me out. YOU DON’T TASTE THE CARROTS!!! Then what’s the function of the carrots? you might ask. My answer: It makes the cake extremely moist. Which (unless you dislike the word moist) is always a good thing when it comes to cake. Now, the thing that makes this carrot cake unique is the addition of peach puree. This makes the cake EVEN MOISTER, if that’s possible. It also adds a fresh spin off an old classic, and since it’s summer time, what could be a better time to incorporate peaches into a showstopping dessert?

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As you can tell from the above images, this cake is comprised of four layers of 9-inch diameter peach carrot cake, peach puree, and cream cheese frosting. It’s practically made from yum.

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ATTENTION: I have an exciting announcement. You know those food videos that are all over social media (the ones that are shot from above, are fast forwarded, and you only see the persons hands in it)? Of course you do. Anyway, just a couple days ago, I tried shooting one myself of one of my mug cakes (not tell you which one it was yet!), and I thought it went fabulously. However, I just realized that I can’t upload video to my blog, so perhaps a YouTube channel will be opening in the near future? So stay tuned.

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Carrot Peach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Call Me Cupcake

Cake:

  • 1 c. (2 sticks) butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 large eggs + 1/2 whisked large egg (2 Tbsp)
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour/whole wheat pastry flour/white whole wheat flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2-1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp grated carrots
  • ~22 oz canned peach halves in juice (1 c. of peach puree will be used in the cake, save the rest for filling)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1 c. (2 sticks) softened butter
  • 10-1/2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1-1/4 c. powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

  • Remaining peach puree

Caramelized Peaches:

  • 4-6 fresh peaches
  • 1/4 c. + 1 1/2 tsp butter
  • 1/4 c. + 1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar, packed

Garnish:

  • Fresh blackberries

Cake:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter & flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
  3. Melt the butter, & leave to cool.
  4. Beat eggs & sugars until fluffy & lighter in color & texture, ~3 min. Add melted butter & vanilla, & beat until combined.
  5. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & cinnamon in a bowl, then stir into the batter until just smooth.
  6. Peel & grate the carrots. Put the peaches (w/out the juice) in a blender/food processor, & process until smooth.
  7. Add grated carrots & 1 c. peach puree to the batter & stir until combined. Divide batter btwn the 2 cake pans.
  8. Bake for ~40-60 min, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  9. Leave to cool in the pans for 20 min, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  1. Beat butter until pale & fluffy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, & vanilla, & beat until just smooth.
  2. Put the bowl in the fridge while you cut the cake.

Assembly:

  1. Cut both cake layers in half w/ a serrated knife so you end up w/ 4 cake layers.
  2. Put the 1st cake layer on a cake board/directly onto a plate/cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting on the 1st layer, then spread a layer of the peach puree over. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
  3. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake & put in the fridge while you prepare the topping.

Caramelized peaches:

  1. Slice the fresh peaches. Heat the butter over medium heat in a non-reactive skillet. Add brown sugar & swirl with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts.
  2. Add the peach slices & caramelize for 3-4 min. Let cool completely, then put them on top of the cake w/ blackberries.

 

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