A simple, moist carrot cake flavored with a touch of bourbon and fragrant spices, then topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting that’s whipped until it’s silky smooth. O.M.G. A food processor makes the prep work easy and helps deliver the best texture and color. I’ve had this recipe for years in my files and I’m now sharing it with you.
Grease or spray two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. You can also use 8-inch pans for a thicker layer cake.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Stir in the grated carrot to coat it with the flour. Set aside.
Add the walnuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you get small bits. Don’t overprocess or you’ll get walnut butter. Just process until you get small pieces. Transfer walnuts into a bowl and set aside.
Remove ends from carrots and discard. Slice the carrots into chunks.
Add the carrots into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you get small bits. Don’t overprocess or you’ll get puree. Just grind until the bits are tiny. Refer to the photo in the post. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, and bourbon until blended.
Add carrots into the batter and mix.
Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until flour is mostly blended, then stir for 50 strokes. Stir in 1 cup of the walnut pieces.
Divide the batter between the 2 pans and bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes then turnout onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.