3-4largecarrots, ends trimmed and finely shredded (about 2 cups)
3largeeggs
1cup(212g)granulated sugar
½cup(106g)packed light brown sugar
1cupoil (see note)
½cuptoasted chopped pecans, optional
Cream Cheese Filling:
8ounces(227g)cream cheese, light or regular, softened
¼teaspoonvanilla extract
¼cup(53g)granulated sugar
1largeegg
Frosting:
4ounces(113g)cream cheese, softened
2tablespoonsbutter, softened
½teaspoonvanilla extract
2tablespoonsheavy cream
1tablespoonsour cream
2cups(228g)powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- or 10-inch bundt cake pan very well, getting in all the nooks and crannies. Lightly dust with flour, tapping out the excess, and set aside.
For the cake batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl (you can use the bowl of a stand electric mixer here), with a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars together until blended. With the mixer running, drizzle in the oil and mix until thick and creamy.
Add the dry ingredients, carrots and pecans, and mix gently by hand until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Set aside for a few minutes while preparing the cream cheese filling.
For the cream cheese layer, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and egg until smooth and well-combined. You can use an electric mixer or I generally use my blender (Blendtec model) for whipping this together.
Pour half of the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture in dollops evenly across the top. Finish with the remaining carrot cake batter. It's ok if you can see the cream cheese layer peeking through - the carrot cake may not cover it all the way.
Bake the cake for 45-60 minutes until the top lightly springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Remove fron the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate to cool completely.
For the frosting, whip together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth and well-combined (again, I use my blender for this but you can use an electric mixer). Add the heavy cream, sour cream and powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting over the top curve of the bundt cake. If you want to cover the cake entirely, you can double the frosting.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cake can be made, frosted and refrigerated up to a day in advance.
Notes
Oil + Applesauce: for the oil, you can try subbing in half unsweetened applesauce (it works great for the original carrot cake this was adapted from). I used a combination of avocado and light olive oil for this recipe but you could use canola, vegetable or even coconut oil (melted first).Bundt Pan: I know the issue of the bundt pan will probably come up. First off, I use a 10-inch bundt pan (a totally old school one from the 70's my mother-in-law gave me a few years ago that she got as a wedding present and it's crazy vintage awesome) but you could try a smaller bundt pan keeping in mind you may need to increase the baking time (and make sure the batter doesn't overflow, although there was an inch of space left using a 10-inch pan). If you don't have a bundt pan at all, feel free to experiment using a couple loaf pans or even a cake pan. I can't offer any advice about how they will work but things like that are always worth a try, in my opinion (if nothing else, you could treat yourself to a new bundt pan and spend a lifetime making fancy bundt cakes).