Chrysanthemum Carrot Cake

The Art.

    I'm so glad that someone clever invented carrot cake, otherwise I would never finish a bag of carrots. I know there are people who don't like carrot cake very much, but I think this is because most of them are too sweet. What I love about this recipe is that it has pineapple and dried cranberries instead of raisins, adding a more tart-sweet flavor that doesn't overwhelm. Instead of going with the standard buttercream carrot decoration, I thought this cake looked cute with some simple marshmallow chrysanthemum flowers.

The Science.

    Another interesting fact about this cake recipe is that it doesn't require milk. Instead, undrained canned pineapple provides the moisture needed for the batter. The pineapple juice also provides an acidic component, which reacts with the baking powder to create carbon dioxide bubbles and make the cake rise. The high number of eggs gives the cake just enough sponginess to hold the delicate, moist crumb together.

The Recipe.

Cake:
2 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups finely grated carrots
8.25oz canned crushed pineapple, with juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped nuts

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. (For instructions on how to do this, visit the Almond Nutella Cake post.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Beat oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in carrots, pineapple, cranberries, and nuts. Pour batter into cake pans and bake on center rack for 30 minutes, or until tester come out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks. Meanwhile, make the icing and marshmallows.

Cream cheese icing:
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
decorating sugar
mini marshmallows

    Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar while mixing. Beat in vanilla until combined.

   To make the colored marshmallows, fill three resealable bags each with 1 tablespoon of colored decorating sugar. Cut the marshmallows diagonally with a pair of cooking shears. Place them in the bags with the sugar and shake them until the marshmallows are coated.

Assembly:

     Place a cake layer on a cardboard cake round, and cover with icing. Repeat with the next two layers. Cover the cake with icing, smoothing it with a spatula. Make a dome of icing in the center, on which you will form the center marshmallow flower.

    To make the chrysanthemums, arrange marshmallows in concentric rings, from the outside in. For this pattern, I made a larger flower in the center and smaller ones on the sides. Of course, you can make any pattern you like. Maybe you can take inspiration from all the chrysanthemums that are blooming right now!