Walnut Carrot Cake

This carrot cake uses a trick worth stealing: half the walnuts get chopped fine and sprinkled into the greased pans so they toast against the hot surface and form a nutty crust on the outside of each layer. The other half go into the batter for crunch throughout.

Brown sugar instead of white gives the crumb a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness that plays well with the warm spice trio of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And oil-based batters stay moist longer than butter cakes, so this one holds up beautifully for days.

Three full cups of grated carrots keep the layers incredibly tender and add natural sweetness that lets you taste more than just sugar.

Kitchen Tips

• Grate the carrots on the fine side of a box grater. Large shreds create pockets of moisture that don’t incorporate evenly.
• Beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and spices at high speed until truly light. This is where you build the structure since there’s no creamed butter to trap air.
• Don’t overbake. Check at 25 minutes. The oil keeps the crumb moist, but an extra 5 minutes in the oven dries out the edges.
• Cool in the pans for exactly 10 minutes before turning out. Too early and they break; too long and the walnut crust sticks.

Variations

• Frost with cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream for the more traditional American pairing.
• Add a cup of crushed pineapple (well drained) for extra moisture and a tropical tang.
• Fold in golden raisins with the carrots for pops of chewy sweetness in every slice.