ben starr’s pumpkin carrot cake with cream cheese frosti

8/10/2019 Ben Starrs Pumpkin Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosti

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Ben Starr: chef, traveler, writer, beer brewer, DIY warrior, and ultimate food geek

Ben Starrs Pumpkin Carrot Cake w ith Cream Cheese Fros tingand Candied HazelnutsPosted on February 5, 2012 | 25 Comments

**Please note, instructions for making this into cupcakes are located at the bottom of the cake section of th e recipe.

This is the cake that I get demands for every October at my annual Fall Dinner Party, where I serve a 5course meal with each course based on pumpkin. Regardless of what unique, delicious pumpkindessert I have planned, people always email and call ahead to ask if Im doing my Pumpkin CarrotCake. I cant let them down.

This is also the cake that Gordon Ramsay loved on MasterChef, and that Graham Elliot said gave hismouth an orgasm.

This is one of the most delicious cakes youll ever eat. It has a definite carrot cake flavor, but its a lotmore moist and spicy. The candied nuts on top add a delicious crunch and extra dimension of flavor.

First, a video tutorial showing the procedure for baking this cake, step-by-step, with common pitfallsfor new bakers to avoid. This is a VERY detailed video, and consequentlyits an hour long. Feel freeto skip to the recipe below if youre an experienced baker!

I normally make this as a 3 layer cake using 9 cake pans. On MasterChef I sliced ea ch layer in half,resulting in a 6 layer cake. (To better facilitate the slicing, freeze the cake rounds for 30 minutes to

tarrs Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candi... http://benstarr.com/recipes/ben-starrs-pumpkin-carrot-cake-with-cream-c...

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stiffen them up, then carefully rotate the cake as you slice back and forth with a long bread knife. A lazy Susan helps, but isnt necessary.)

***A new breakthrough occurred in this cakes evolution on December 22, 2011. Following a method for meringue used by my friends in Perth, Australia, I STARTED with the meringue firstsomething I dont normally do. This step makes the cake much easier for beginners, as it virtually ensures youcant over-beat your whites. I recommend modifying the recipe by taking this step for now, and when

I can remake the video, I will permanently alter the recipe. To begin, take 6-9 egg whites (I use 9) and put them in the mixer bowl along with 1 cup of white sugar and 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. Turn the

mixer on high and in 2-3 minutes youll have stiff peaked meringue. It is VERY hard to overbeat thismeringue. Stop when the whites start to ruffle up around the whisk, then test by pulling the whisk upthrough the whites. If the peak that remains on the whisk or in the bowl is firm and doesnt sink over,youre ready. If the peak is soft and wilts then beat it a bit longer until the peak remains stiff. Thenremove the meringue to a bowl, and the bowl can immediately be used to proceed with the cake batterwithout washing it. Just switch to the paddle attachment, add the butter, the remaining 1/2 cup whitesugar, and the 1/2 cup brown sugar and proceed

2 sticks unsalted butter (8 ounces, 227 grams), softened (do NOT use margarine)

Whip until the butter is light and creamy. Then add:

1 cups sugar (10 1/2 ounces, 308 grams) cup brown sugar (4 ounces, 97 grams)

Cream the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes, preferably 5.

Then add:

3 large egg yolks

Blend on medium speed for 3 more minutes. Then add:

1 cups pumpkin puree (319 grams, canned pumpkin is okay, or microwave sweet potatoes or

butternut squash in season, and puree)1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend on medium speed for 3 more minutes. You should have a thick, airy, lightly-colored batter.Then fold in:

2 cups grated carrots (302 grams)

In a separate bowl, combine:

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour (I use 8 oz AP flour and 4.5 oz cake flour, or 227grams AP and 127 grams cake)

4 teaspoons (16 grams) baking powder1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda2 Tablespoons (6 grams) ground cinnamon1 Tablespoon (4 grams) ginger1 Tablespoon (4 grams) ground cardamom1/4 tsp each (heavy pinch) nutmeg, allspice, cloves1 teaspoon (3 grams) salt

(To kick this recipe up a notch, lightly toast your spices in a skillet over medium heat for a few secondsto bloom the flavor, then add to the flour.)

Stir around with your fingers until theyre well mixed. Then sift at least twice through a sifter or


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strainer. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on slowest speed until combined.

In a separate bowl, (or THOROUGHLY wash your mixer bowl to remove all traces of fat) beat:

6 egg whites (or, fo r extra lift, up to 9 whites)1/2 tsp (2.4 grams) cream of tartar (optional, but recommended, add when whites begin to getfoamy)2 Tablespoons (8 g rams) white sugar (add gradually when whites are going through soft peak stage)

To stiff peaks. Start out on high speed, and as the whites begin to change color from foamy yellow to a whiter color, add the cream of tartar, lower the speed to medium low and whip VERY slowly, addingthe maximum amount of air without damaging the protein structure of the whites. Slowly incorporate2 Tablespoons of white sugar, a bit at a time. Once you have reached stiff peaks, stop immediately.(Its better to be just shy of still peaks than past stiff peaks where the white separate into curds when

you scoop them.) Stir 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten the batter. Gently fold the remaining2/3 into the cake batter until you cant see any clumps of white left.

Divide it equally into parchment-lined, greased and floured cake pans. (I spray my cake pans withcanola oil, add a round of parchment or wax paper, spray again, and then l iberally flour them, shakethe flour around, and dump it out.) Optionally, spray top of batter evenly with water to slow the rising

process, resulting in flatter cakes.

Place cakes in a preheated 350F oven, and toss a handful of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. Thiscreates steam which again results in flatter cakes. Immediately reduce the heat to 325F and bake for30 minutes (or 50 minutes for deep 6 rounds) or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakecomes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 15-30 minutes. Then dump upside down (gently!) ontoa cooling rack to cool completely.

I like to chill my cakes before I frost them. They hold up better. 45 minutes in the freezer is usually perfect, but make sure the cake is fully cool before putting it in your freezer or you may thaw out other

things in the freezer. While the cake is cooling, make up the frosting and the candied nuts.

***FOR CUPCAKES***

This recipe makes beautiful cupcakes. Add an additional teaspoon of baking powder, fill cupcake cupsalmost to the top with batter, and bake in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes until they test done. (Dont spray water or add ice to the oven. These techniques encourage a flatter top, and cupcakes typicallyhave a more rounded top.)

F R O S T I N G :

***Please note this makes enough frosting for a 6 layer cake. You can halve the recipe if you are only

making 2 or 3 l ayers.***

2 packages (16 ounces, 454 grams) cream cheese (or mascarpone, or lebni/labneha MiddleEastern kefir yogurt cheese)2 sticks butter (8 ounces, 227 grams), softened

Cream together cheese and butter with a hand or stand mixer on high speed until its light and fluffy.Then slowly begin to add:

1-2 pounds confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) (454-907 grams) depending on how sweet and stiff you like the frosting


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Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. I like to start with low speed right after Ive added sugar tokeep it from f lying everywhere, then increase the speed as it gets incorporated. Continue adding sugarin small batches and mixing thoroughly until the frosting reaches the desired sweetness level. Themore sugar you add, the stiffer the frosting will be. Loose frosting is easier to work with. Stiff frostingholds the cake together better. Then add:

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat on slow speed until the vanilla begins to get mixed in, then beat on the highest speed possible for

2 minutes to ensure a light and fluffy frosting.

Frost the cake liberally. Dont worry too much about crumbs getting into the frosting, because youregoing to press candied nuts into the frosting anyway, so its not critical to have a perfectly cleanfrosting job.

CA N D I E D N U T S

Spread out a piece of parchment/waxed paper or foil onto a countertop and butter it or spray it lightly with canola oil. (Or use a silicone pad, which is the preferable method. No matter how well you butter your paper or foil, SOME of it will stick to the bottom of your candy and youll have to scrape it off with your fingernail.)

Into a very heavy skillet, put:

cup brown sugar2 Tablespoons butter1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt teaspoon cloves teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon water

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the mixture is at a full rolling boil, continue stirring and boiling for 3 minutes until the mixture is deep brown and fragrant. (If youhave a candy thermometer, youre shooting for 325F) Then add:

cup chopped nuts (I like to use hazelnuts when I can find them, pecans if I cant. Yourflavor will be better if youll gently toast the nuts in a skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently,until they are fragrant and have deepened a bit in color. You can also toast in the microwave using 1minute intervals on full power, until nuts are lightly browned and fragrant.)

Stir the nuts into the boiling sugar, making sure they are well-coated. Then remove the pan from theheat and pour the nuts onto the oiled wax paper. Let them cool completely before the next step.

Pull the candied nuts off the paper and place them in a zip-top bag. Pound them with a rolling pin or wine bottle to break them up, then roll over them back and forth until they are well pulverized, but notpowdered.

After youve frosted the cake, sprinkle the nuts on top. Then place some in your palm and press themup against the sides of the cake. (Its messy, but it works.) Continue around the cake until the sides arecoated with nuts.

This cake tastes best at room temperature, and it does disappear fast, but if youve got a small crowdeating, youll want to refrigerate it after serving. Then let it si t on the countertop for an hour beforeserving again.


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25 RESPONSES TO BEN STARRS PUMPKIN CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESEFROSTING AND CANDIED HAZELNUTS

This entry was posted in Desserts , Recipes, Vegetarian and tagged Ben Starr, cake, Gordon Ramsay,

MasterChef, pumpkin, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Lucy | July 10, 2012 at 11:21 am | Reply

This is your legendary-est recipe.

Ben | July 10, 2012 at 4:58 pm | Reply

Yes it is, Luzy! If you make it, send me a photo of you with the cake!!!

Lauren | July 11, 2012 at 2:55 am | Reply

This cake is amazingly epic I made it for my Omas 80th birthday. Thank you so much forposting the recipe!


Lauren, what an honor that you made this for your Omas 80th! I hope she enjoyed it. If you have any pictures, please email them to me at ben at benstarrdotcom

Sam | July 22, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Reply

Made this cake today for my f iancees birthday. It was a big hit. Surprisingly lightconsistency. And the candied hazelnuts were out of this world. The salt really brings out theexplosive flavor. I only made 4 layers since I had only 8 cake pans so any more laye rs

would have just been too high. Thanks Ben for all the tips in the video. really learned a lot.


Sam, Im so glad it turned out well ! (Coincidentally, I am baking the cake today, too.) Ispent years working on that texture, taking it from the dense wet carrot cake (which IS

yummy, but not in 6 layers!) so Im glad you enjoyed it. Happy Birthday to your fiancee!

Sam | August 5, 2012 at 12:19 am | Reply

I made the cake again, this time turning 1/3 of it into cupcakes and it was another hugesuccess. I am always surprised when i bite into it at its lightness and bursting flavor. Inaddition, as technical as it is, it isnt really s o hard to make. BTW, Ben are you Jewish? I amand when I watched MasterChef, my JewDar went up. Since I saw you have a website, Ifigured I would ask.

Ben | August 6, 2012 at 7:45 pm | Reply

Hi, Sam! Im not Jewish, though most people think I am. Which is an honor!

Brian | August 5, 2012 at 6:35 am | Reply

Ben can you make these into cupcakes?


Brian, these make fantastic cupcakes. Up the baking temp to 375F and bake them forabout 16 minutes before testing.

Roberta Fracalossi | August 10, 2012 at 2:51 pm | Reply

My name is Roberta,Im from Brasil, and I just love you way to cook and love your


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personality (sorry about my terrible english) The masterchef season 2 dont finish here yet, but I wish sooooooooooooo much that you win!! Because you are, I have absolutly shore about that, the best cook AND person of the show!! Thanks for everything!!


Bom dia, Roberta! BRIGADO! My boyfriend is from Sao Paulo and we have many dearfriends there and try to visit once a year. I adore Brasil, it is one of my favorite places onearth. BEIJOS!

Sharon | August 23, 2012 at 11:15 am | Reply

Hi Ben! I have a ques tion regarding the carrot-pumpking cake recipe. You say do not usemargarine. And you say it quite em phatically. I am wondering why it cannot be substitutedfor butter, other than for taste reasons. I want to make this cake but cannot use any dairy ingredients. While taste might suffer, is there any other reason that margarine cant beused? Thanks and keep up your great work!!

Ben | September 3, 2012 at 12:43 pm | Reply

Hi, Sharon! I am adamantly against the use of virtually all industrial food products.Margarine is vegetable fat that is altered at the molecular leve l to be sol id and behavelike butter, with synthetic esters added to make it taste vaguely like butter. While the

jury is still out about how bad for us these hydrogenated fats truly are (in a decade wellknow a lot more), I choose not to put things in my body that my body that do not exist innature, and that my body doesnt know how to deal with.

If you are lactose intolerant, I would suggest you try using cultured butter (orEuropean-style butter) which has been pre-digested by healthy bacteria. Many people

who are lactose intolerant are able to consume products like yogurt, buttermilk, andcultured butter because they are significantly altered by the bacterial culture. If thatdoesnt work, I would suggest you attempt to locate RAW milk products, either by finding a local dairy farmer on Craigslist or Localharvest.org, or looking in a localgourmet market. Milk contains enzymes that help your body digest it. The pasteurizationprocess kills these enzymes. I am somewhat lactose intolerant, but I can drink a wholegallon of raw cows milk with ZERO negative effects. So raw butter will still contain thenatural enzymes that help your body digest it.

Failing these options, please make sure you are buying margarine that contains NO transfats. On the label, avoid anything partially hydrogenated and only buy margarine that isfully hydrogenated. Emerging research shows that trans fats (or partially hydrogenatedfats) are very, very bad for us.

Sharon | September 9, 2012 at 12:19 pm | Reply

Thanks for your response regarding the margarine. If I cannot use ANY dairy ingredients,regardless of what they may be, could I substitute oil for part or all of the butter? Would thequality of the cake suffer? Thanks!


The texture and taste of the cake will definitely suffer if you substitute oilhowever, it will be more like the texture of traditional carrot cakemore dense, moist, and chewy. It will still taste good, but it may be hard to stack 6 layers and to slice.

Roy'l | September 11, 2012 at 9:40 am | Reply

I made this cake yesterday, (in honor of the Masterchef season finale) and it was wonderful! I wish that someone would have told me years ago to freeze a cake to cut it intolayers and to put on the f rosting. The cake looked beautiful. My husband and I do not like


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nuts in our food, but out of respect for your receipe I made candied pecans. We both really liked the pecans on the cake and thought that they added texture and extra yumminess tothe cake. Thank you so much!


Im so glad you liked the cake! To be honest, I dont normally put nuts in my food(unless Im making Thai food, in which case I love adding cashews), and I NEVER putnuts in my cookies or breads or anything like that. But with this particular cake, you

gotta have em! So glad you agree. *hugs*

Lenka | September 13, 2012 at 4:43 pm | Reply

I live in the Czech Republic and love Masterchef and especially love your pumpkin carrotcake! Wow, the moment Gordon sliced it- I was really amazed and decided to try itI hope to get all the ingredients because sometimes it is difficult (for example, there isnothing like cream cheese, cardamon is not used at all)..Thanks for this receipe!!

Candy | September 18, 2012 at 10:09 pm | Reply

Hey Ben! I love that you posted this recipe! I have a problem though, with the Pumpkin

Puree. You see, here in our country (Philippines), we dont have pumpkin, we have what wecall Kalabasa though, which is fairly abundant in our farmers markets . Can I use this?and how do I puree it? Thank You so much ben!! Youre my favorite! Id really like to try this recipe out!

Cheers and good luck to all your future plans!

Ben | September 19, 2012 at 11:46 am | Reply

Candy, Kalabasa is pumpkin, and it will work perfectly in this recipe. Prepare it the same way you prepare a pumpkin puree. Cut the kalabasa in half, place each half in a bakingsheet, and bake in the oven at 350F/170C until it is very soft. You should be able to pushgently on it with a spoon and it will collapse on itself. Let it cool fully, then puree it until

it is smooth. I usually scrape the puree out onto a bath towel and fold the towel over andpress it gently on top of the puree. This extracts excess water. Dont try to scrape thepuree off the towel, simply pick up the towel and hold it over a bowl and shake it, and thepuree will fall into the bowl. You can watch this on my pumpkin pie video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hznw9kziWq8

Marta Torres | September 19, 2012 at 3:08 pm | Reply

You KNEW and you were right. Yesterday I saw in my country (Portugal) the episode where you baked your cake. Of course the first thing I did was looking for the recipe. It looks so yummy and to die for!I had planned to bake a carrot cake this coming weekend which I still intend because it ismy favorite carrot cake ever (my daughters recipe, she is a pastry chef in N.Y.) but next

week your cake wil l the the next for sure. Thanks for sharing the recipe and will let youknow how did it go. Many thanks and all the best.

Alex Watanabe | September 29, 2012 at 10:06 am | Reply

Hi, I just watched the masterchef episode where you baked this and cannot stop thinkingabout it! I desperately want to eat this cake!!! Everything about it is perfect, most of all yourpassion, positivity and enthusiasm. I am going to attempt this for my October cookingchallenge (which I just created this instant, inspired by you).



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Awesome, Alex! When you bake the cake, please take a pic of you with it, and email it tome! ben at benstarr d0t c0m. Lots of fans have sent me pics, Im going to put up a collageon the site!

Judith Forsthe | October 1, 2012 at 8:46 am | Reply

So tasty! I have to make it all the time(on my birthday)great job, it is so delicious!

btw. i saw you in masterchef (i know you from this competition and i liked you, so i had to

cook this amazing cake!)


ben starr’s pumpkin carrot cake with cream cheese frosti

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