The Story

I mentioned in the Cinnamon Swirl Cannoli recipe that I think pumpkin is an over-used flavor, and I stand by that. I get it- it’s the fall. But really, you only need 1 pumpkin dessert on the table. Pumpkin pie. And my sister had that covered. There are so many other delicious flavors that autumn crops yield us, and I wanted to make use of those instead. Carrots and butternut squash were the first to come to mind.

But my gripe is also that I don’t really like the flakiness of usual carrot cakes (odd, I know…), and cream cheese frosting just doesn’t do it for me (also odd, I know).

So instead I went for a different approach. What if the carrots weren’t a dry and flakey factor, but a smooth and creamy addition, like apple sauce or sour cream. That’s where I got to using carrot puree (which means that I steamed the carrots for a really, reallllly long time and then pureed them). I paired it with a pureed butternut squash to add even more moisture. I was concerned about the potential lack of sweetness of the cake, and the density, so cutting this into 6 layers keeps the cake from feeling so dense. It also added a little height to the cake since it isn’t a riser. Plus, by having each have a little icing next to it, the cake certainly tastes like dessert, but isn’t too sweet.

All in all, it’s a winner.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

2 cups carrot puree

2 cups butternut squash puree

1 serving of my Basic Buttercream

The Detailed Guide

The Purees

You can get canned anything these days, so if you find canned pureed carrots and butternut squash, you’re good- this step is done. But if you’re like me, and you prefer fresh ingredients and full flavor, start with making the purees yourself. Take a bunch of carrots (the size and thickness all differ depending on the type), and peel & chop them up. The smaller and thinner you chop them up, the faster they are going to soften. Throw them in a steamer and steam away until they are soften enough to blend/pulverize into a puree. Don’t bother adding liquid when you blend it (unless it really, really needs it)- it doesn’t have to be super creamy, but there shouldn’t be any chunks of solid carrot.

Meanwhile, since your steamer is occupied by the carrots, take your squash and cut it in half longways. Put both halves in a baking pan (I used glass, but it doesn’t matter), sprinkle with a tad bit of olive oil, and put some water in the bottom of the pan so that they don’t burn. Put that uncovered in the oven (350°) until it’s softened – about 45 minutes. If you did this right, the butternut squash will be ready to be pureed first (scoop out the center of the squash and blend), followed by the carrots. Depending on the size of the squash, you may have leftovers. I served it for Thanksgiving dinner, and no one seemed to mind.

I tried to make my carrots pretty thin so they wouldn’t take forever to steam. 

Before the oven…

After the oven and ready to puree.

Perfect puree consistency (no added water), and the leftovers were delicious!

Batter it up!

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Make sure it’s evenly mixed. In a separate and much larger bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, and oil until smooth. Then, add in the flour in 2 batches.

As a general rule when adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, I always add in 2 or 3 batches. Especially when you are using a mixture, it prevents your flour from just flying out of the bowl and onto the counter-tops. 

Finally, add in the carrots and the butternut squash. The order doesn’t matter, but if you’re curious, I did the butternut and then the carrot.

Take 3 9-inch round pans and grease the sides and parchment paper the bottoms. This is a pretty moist and a pretty dense cake, so while buttering/flouring the pan may work, I don’t take chances. Pour the batter into the pans and set them in a preheated oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes. They should pass the wooden toothpick test. The consistency should be a little bit firmer than pumpkin pie. This is not going to be a traditional cake-cake. You don’t want the layers to be too chewy. Place them on a wired wrack to cool. You can place them in the refrigerator for a bit to cool even more if you fancy. I did.

While they are cooling, make the icing.

Batter before the carrots and butternut.

Mmmmm. So tasty with the carrots and butternut added!

Putting it Together and Decorating

Once cooled, you are going to split each cake layer into 2 layers. Traditionally this is done with floss, but since this cake is so dense, you can really just use a bread knife (the one with the serrated edge). I find that cutting all the edges first helps, and then you can slowly work your way in. Once you now have 6 layers, go ahead and place one of them on your serving dish or decorating tray. Place a dollop of icing on cake and spread it thin. Remember, we are doing 6 layers of cake. If there was too much icing in between the layers of the cake, it would be way too sweet. Place your second layer on top of the first and repeat with the dollop of icing and spreading it thin. Repeat this until all of your layers are on.

Now is time to decorate. Take the remainder of the icing (leaving enough for the top decoration, about a cup) and ice the sides and a very thing coat on the top. Stick this, and the remaining icing in the fridge to chill for a bit. Once cooled down and hardened a little, color the remainder of the icing orange and pipe stars on top of the cake. Working from the outside in, in a circular pattern, works best.

There ya have it!

Layer cut in half. 

Just a little bit of icing!

All the layers are finally together.

Working from the outside in makes for a great looking cake.

Don’t mind if I do…

ALL MINE! (and soon to be ALL EATEN)

Shut up and just GIVE ME THE RECIPE!!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

2 cups carrot puree

2 cups butternut squash puree

1 serving of my Basic Buttercream

Make It

The Purees

If you’re going to make your own purees…Peel and chop carrots and steam them until soften enough to puree. Meanwhile cut your squash in half longways. Put both halves in a baking pan, sprinkle with a tad bit of olive oil, and put some water in the bottom of the pan so that they don’t burn. Put that uncovered in the oven (350°) until it’s softened – about 45 minutes. Puree both the squash and carrots.

The Batter

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a separate and much larger bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, and oil until smooth. Then, add in the flour in 2 batches. Finally, add in the carrots and the butternut squash.

Take 3 9-inch round pans and grease the sides and parchment paper the bottoms. Pour the batter into the pans and set them in a preheated oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes. They should pass the wooden toothpick test. The consistency should be a little bit firmer than pumpkin pie. Place them on a wired wrack to cool and refrigerate for easier handling.

While they are cooling, make the icing.

Putting it Together and Decorating

Once cooled, you are going to split each cake layer into 2 layers. Once you now have 6 layers, go ahead and place one of them on your serving dish or decorating tray. Place a dollop of icing on cake and spread it thin. Place your second layer on top of the first and repeat with the dollop of icing and spreading it thin. Repeat this until all of your layers are on.

Now is time to decorate. Take the remainder of the icing (leaving enough for the top decoration, about a cup) and ice the sides and a very thing coat on the top. Stick this, and the remaining icing in the fridge to chill for a bit. Once cooled down and hardened a little, color the remainder of the icing orange and pipe stars on top of the cake. Working from the outside in, in a circular pattern, works best.

There ya have it!