Carrot Cake by Shirley Corriher

Yield: 1 (4-layer) 8-inch round cake
Prep: 45 min.
Bake: 35 min.
Cool: 1 hour

• 2 cups walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
• 2 TBL unsalted butter
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 1/3 cups self-rising flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
• 1/2 tsp allspice, optional
• 1 TBL orange zest
• 3 lg eggs
• 2 lg egg yolks
• 2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 cups very finely grated carrots, approx. 6 carrots (food processor is recommended)
• 1 recipe Cream Cheese Icing (recipe in this collection)

1. Arrange shelf in lower third of oven and place baking stone on it. Preheat to 350F.
2. Spread nuts on a baking sheet, place in oven on the stone, and roast for 10-12 min. While nuts are hot, stir in 2 TBL butter and 1/3 tsp salt. Set aside.
3. Spray 2 8-inch round (2" high) cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment circle. Spray paper very lightly.
4. Combine flour, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and orange zest. Beat well at medium speed with electric mixer.
5. In another bowl, stir together whole eggs, egg yolks, and brown sugar. Then, add oil, vanilla, and orange juice, stirring to combine.
6. Make a hole in center of flour mixture and add egg mixture, a little at a time, stirring by hand. Add carrots and roasted nuts.
7. Pour batter into prepared pans. Spoon batter from one pan to the other until batter is dived equally. Drop pans, one at a time, onto the counter from a height of 4 inches to knock out large air bubbles.
8. Place both pans in oven on stone. Bake for approx. 30-35 min., or until the center springs back when touched. Ideally, cake should not pull away from sides until it has just come out of oven. The center temp should read approx. 209F.
9. Cool cakes on cooling rack for approx 10 minutes. Shake pan to loosen cake all around.
10. Spray cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place rack, sprayed side down, on top of the cake and invert. Let cool completely.
11. When completely cooled, slice each layer on half horizontally, creating four layers.
    
12. Divide icing in half. Reserve 1 half to ice top and sides. Divide remaining half into thirds. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake plate or serving dish and spread with 1/3 of icing. Place another layer on top of icing, cut side up, and spread with another third. Place third layer on top, cut side up, and spread with remaining third. Place top layer on, cut side down. Ice top and sides with reserved icing.