Carrot Tea cake with cream cheese frosting

Christmas time was busy baking time for me. For years, I would make quick bread and cakes instead of purchasing something in the store. With the years gone by, I would actually have a request list! As usual, I made a few loafs of eggnog bread, the pumpkin gingerbread. The most requested was always my Hawaiian banana bread. Out of all these baking, I made a carrot tea cake for my fellow yogini/ photographer friend Jeffrey Austin. I have known Jeffrey for many years and I know he loves carrot cake. He was hosting a Christmas party at his home. I thought it would be a good host gift. I made it in a bundt pan and did a soft cream cheese drizzle to make it more festive.

The recipe is an adaptation of the Carrot Tea Cake from Martha Stewart. I added another cup of carrot so that it would be moist. I also used a couple of rainbow carrot from the Co-op. They have more flavor and sweeter in my opinion.
Carrot tea cake with cream cheese drizzle

1/2 cup (4oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs - neatened
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups packed peeled and grated carrots

Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 oz butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of confection sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350F. Spread and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside
In the medium bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside

In a large mixing bowl/mixer,  cream butter with brown sugar till light.

Add eggs, one at a time. Mix well

 Slowly add in the dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time

Mix well, add vanilla.

 Remove batter from the mixer and fold in carrot.

  Transfer carrot batter to a bundt pan and bake for 45 mins till the cake spring back when pressed in the center or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. The cake will not raise to the top of the pan, it will be about 1/2 way.

 Let the cake cool and remove from the pan and let it cool.

To prepare drizzle:
Cream cream cheese, butter and sugar in a medium size bowl.

 Mix well.

 Add vanilla

 Check the consistency of the drizzle, you want this to be thick, but not "solid" so that you can spoon the mixture over the cake. Add cream/milk as needed.

 Drizzle the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cooled cake, let the drizzle runs down the sides of the cake. Chill in the fridge for about an hour to set the cake.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar to add a festive touch

Serve 6-8

Enjoy

Aloha!