My First Wedding Cake Project: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
As many of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook know, last week I had my latest and greatest food challenge to date! I made a 50 person wedding cake for some good friends of ours (after just moving to our new place 4 days earlier!). I was inspired to make the cake because A) it was for friends and B) it was for a very casual reception. Had I been asked to do this by strangers, or for a typical reception, I likely would not have been so bold, as I am not really known for baking, and also because I don’t have any cake decorating skills (or tools) to speak of. I would have NEVER done this a year ago, because prior to then, I never baked. So I just want to shout out to all my Daring Baker buddies to thank them for all the support over the last year and a half and helping me to become more confident in baking! I will never forget the good times we had!
The reception was at a large open air pavilion on the beach, here in Saint Augustine. A few weeks before the reception Roberto and I were out to dinner with the Bride and Groom, Lela and Bubba, and I asked them where they were registered for gifts. They said that they weren’t and all they really wanted as gifts was food for the reception. They were planning a simple BBQ affair with all the trimmings. I asked about a cake – and they didn’t have one. So I asked if they would like me to make the cake as our gift to them. I offered because I really felt that they should have a cake, and be able to do the cake cutting ceremony together – one of the highlights of every wedding reception. They happily accepted and we decided on a carrot cake, as it is both of their favorite.
I had some doubt after the fact, but I decided I was going to focus on making a tasty cake, even if it didn’t end up looking too pretty. That took the pressure off. I had never made a big cake and I had never made a carrot cake before. But I was doing this for good friends, so I stayed focused on that and it was just going to be one of those labor of love deals.
The first thing I did was ask around on Twitter to see of any of my baking guru buddies had any great ideas for ways to do this, and for great carrot cake recipes. They had to be tried and true. I got a lot of suggestions for baking cupcakes. But after thinking about it, I figured that would probably take me a lot longer. I wanted to work with the cake pans I already had (and I only have one cupcake tray) and avoid having to buy anything. So I decided to do a large 13×9 rectangle, a 9” square and a 9” round and then stack them. I decided on a recipe that my friend Toontz from Okara Mountain sent me from one of her recipe books (can’t remember which…). I chose it because it was simple and straightforward and came highly recommended. I did make an addition of raisins and crystallized ginger to the recipe. I also decreased the amount of oil and added water to thin the batter. If I had applesauce on hand, I would have used that instead.
The cake ended up being delicious and a huge success! It was nice and moist, with lots of goodies baked in. I added a bit of ice wine to the cream cheese frosting, which added a nice dimension of flavor – and making it a bit more sophisticated and wedding-y tasting – it also made the color of the icing almost iridescent. I decorated the cake with red Gerber daisies, which were part of their invitation design and some Ginger Sweeties from The Ginger People (I also added some ground up to the cake batter). Those were a HUGE hit. The Bride sure loved those ginger hearts! I noticed on The Ginger People website, they are now $4 a jar! So if you like ginger, you should pick some up!
I got a lot of compliments, and the Bride and Groom were very pleased. I was really happy with the way everything turned out, right down to the decorations – which was the part I was most worried about. But I took the clues from their invitations, and did decorations based on the colors and design. When in doubt use flowers! They are beautiful, don’t require any skill on your part, and are always classy! I also made them two small cupcakes to enjoy on their one year anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS, Lela and Bubs! 🙂
Carrot Cake (for one 13×9 inch pan – for the 3-tiered cake for 50 people I tripled the recipe)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups pure cane sugar
2 cups organic AP flour (I used King Arthur)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (I used mixed), chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup baking coconut
½ cup of dark raisins
¼ cup crystallized ginger, ground (I used Ginger Sweeties from The Ginger People)
3 organic eggs, beaten
1 (7-ounce) can crushed pineapple and juice
¼ cup of grapeseed oil (or veg oil)
1/4-1 cup of water (as needed to thin the batter)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
8 oz. Cream cheese (I used a lowfat -and it was FINE)
4 cups organic powdered sugar
¼ cup organic butter
dash of salt
2 TBS ice wine – marsala would work good too
METHOD:
Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nuts, carrots, coconut, raisins and ginger in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, pineapple AND juice, oil, vanilla and water. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 350 F for 35-45 minutes. Mix together frosting ingredients and spread over cooled cake. Frosting can be made ahead. Additionally, if anyone is interested in The Ginger People products, here is some contact info. Nicole is awesome and would be more than glad to help you with your ginger needs!
Nicole DeCarli
Marketing Coordinator
ndecarli@gingerpeople.com
(800) 551-5284 x225 fax (831) 582-2495
Stacey - June 20, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Your cake turned out beautiful! And so sweet of you to do that for your friend’s wedding!
By the way… some of the most gorgeous cakes I have seen at weddings ended up tasting like crap because that nasty fondant. I would MUCH rather a moist delicious cake made with love by a friend!
Ananda Lima - June 26, 2009 at 10:33 pm
The cake looks so cute and sounds delicious from the recipe! I am sure Lela and Bubs loved it. Well done!
Karen - March 14, 2011 at 11:27 am
Jenn,
Karen here from threecleversisters! What a crazy coincidence is that! Maybe you both did the same “research” online for decor? It looks absolutely delicious, by the way! Thanks for visiting our blog! I look forward to reading more from you too!
Karen Kuranz - March 13, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Hi,
I plan on making this cake for my daughter’s wedding in Maine this July. Did you triple the frosting recipe as well as the cake for 50 people?
Thanks.
Karen
The Leftover Queen - March 16, 2012 at 11:29 am
Hi Karen! Yes I did! Good luck! The cake is delicious!
Karen Kuranz - April 3, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Thanks. I’m going to make a practice cake in a couple of weeks and will let you know how it turns out.
The Leftover Queen - April 5, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Shawn Thomas - July 3, 2012 at 4:18 pm
While I’m sure your cake tastes okay, it is not pleasing to the eye. For your followers that failed to address this issue..shame on them. How are you supposed to know what to avoid in the future if everyone is telling you how good it looks? Although you’re not a baker..shame on you for embarrassing yourself and your friends on their wedding day (they won’t tell you the cake is hidious for fear of hurting your feelings)! Your tiers are not proportionate to the supporting tiers, the icing is globbed on the cake, and there is no clear separation of tiers. I call this an epic fail…
Sylvia@bascooking - July 3, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Love the cake, sounds delicious.I only use sugar cane on my recipes and I love crystallized ginger. As your first attempt’s, the cake looks great
The Leftover Queen - July 4, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Thanks for the comment Shawn. Keep in mind that although constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated, sometimes it can go too far. I am not embarrassed for doing something loving for my friends and they were not embarrassed of me or the cake. Some people care more about taste than looks and “it is the thought that counts”. The only fail here is your rude comment.
Babette - July 4, 2012 at 1:38 pm
What a lovely, heartfelt gift to provide on a friends’ wedding day. I think the cake looks festive and delicious. Perhaps a lot of people expect frou-frou fondant-based perfection a la The Cake Boss, but I would much prefer a delicious confection that is prepared with love, and truly symbolizes the bride and groom’s symbolic gesture of nurturing each other after they’ve exchanged their vows. I love this cake *because* it’s not so perfect.
The Leftover Queen - July 4, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Thank you Babette!
Jodie - July 4, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Shawn…lets see your work! I think the cake is beautiful..I decorate cakes for my family. They are far from perfect but my kids get a homemade birthday decorated for them every year…those are the memories…I took the time to do it for them. My mom made my aunts, my wedding cake, my brothers and a friend of mine…one each year. They were simple and beautiful and I would never change that. The same as you did for your friends…a homemade decorated cake from the heart is more special than anything you can buy in the store. If you dont have anything nice to say…go lurk somewhere else.
connie munoz - July 4, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Shawn, that was really rude, you werent there and werent able to taste the cake, i do bake and all the ingrediants sounded like it made a moist and tasty cake, and believe me, if the couple wanted one of those 500 dollar cakes they wouldnt have been wanting people to bring food instead of gifts, the couple appeared to be more focused on fun,family and food, not material things. thats how real people are, you on the other hand focused on looks of a cake must be one of those people, plus to be so rude and post that comment on someones blog and hurt their feelings, shame on your but leftover queen does so many positive things for peoples lives with her blog that your piddle comment shouldnt affect her or her blog…so live with that one…
Shelby - July 4, 2012 at 7:41 pm
I would take a cake made by you any day Jen! Its not always how something looks that counts, but the love that was put into it. I think you did a wonderful thing for your friends and I honestly don’t think your cake is ugly!
Mel - August 16, 2012 at 8:28 am
That cake may taste great but im it looks terrible. You must be able to see that?
Polly - September 17, 2012 at 7:10 am
So I am volunteered to make a wedding cake for a couple who is doing their wedding on a shoe string! I have done 4 traditional wedding cakes in the past way long ago….but never a carrot 3 tier wedding cake! So I made a tester this past weekend,tripled recipe for bottom layer! It had to cook a little over 2 hours YIKES! When I took it out of pan top very crispy but bottom very very wet (moist). Tastes yummy! But…..i could not frost it without making a mess.#1 Do you have any suggestions on that?The moist part kept falling apart each time I put on the white frosting.
#2 Do you think since this recipe is so dense that the top tiers could flatten the bottom one? Did you have that problem?
#3Do you think I could make the tiers in advance and freeze them for a week? Well wrapped?
I’m in a bit of a panic….can you tell? Just took a taste! YUMMY!!!But I can tell it’s not going to look like the best wedding cake but since I don’t know these guys I would like to have it looks its best! Oh floers could help that though. Thanks for a yummy recipe, if you have any helpful hints I would appreciate any! Polly
The Leftover Queen - September 18, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Hi Polly, I am not sure about the moistness issue. I didn’t have that, so maybe you just need to bake it a bit longer? What did you bake it in? I did not have any issues when it came to frosting or layering the cakes. They were strong enough to stand on their own on top of each other without the need for cardboard in between the layers. I made my tiers in advance and froze them. So there is no problem there! Yeah, I am sorry about the looks, I know it isn’t the prettiest cake, but it sure was a hit with the bride and groom and the guests!
Polly - September 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Well I’ll probably be up most the night. Everyone LOVED the cake, maybe not so pretty but absolutely delicious! Glad about not needing the cardboard because I think I don’t have any! I’ll try to take a picture and post it if I can!
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe and getting back to me!
I think I’m going to try and put in freezer just for the night and that should help with the icing. We’ll see! Please remind me not to offer such silly services again! Polly
The Leftover Queen - September 20, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Good luck!!! Definitely let me know if you post it, I would love to see your creation!
Emily - January 15, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Hello, I found your blog while researching cream cheese frosting. Good for you for offering to make your friends’ cake! I bake a lot and I still get stressed regularly about it, so I think you did a brilliant job and I’m sure your friends were bowled over with your lovely gesture.
I’m making my friends’ wedding cake this Autumn, and I’m trying to decide whether to go for cream cheese frosting for the carrot cake tier. We’re having some reservations over leaving such a cake out all day. Did you have any issues with your icing spoiling? Most things I’ve read on the internet say that cream cheese frosting should only be out of the fridge for a maximum of 4 hours, and of course that won’t cut it for a full wedding day! I’d love to hear what you think – and any of your other commenters, if they have any opinions on this!
Thank you!
The Leftover Queen - January 15, 2013 at 5:55 pm
Hi Emily,
We didn’t have any issues and our event was outdoors! Could have had something to do with the wine in the icing 0 maybe it preserved it better?
Heather - May 29, 2014 at 1:36 pm
Hi! I just wanted to thank-you for the great recipe, I have never posted before but I used your recipe to make my own wedding cake back in jan 2011 and it was a huge hit!! I re-visited your site today so I could make it for my son’s second birthday…thanx so much!!