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Homa Dashtaki's Carrot Cake with Yogurt Frosting
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My introduction to carrot cake was traumatic. It happened at the very first birthday party my parents allowed me to plan. I was in sixth grade, and I had invited all the cool girls (even the ones who had already French-kissed boys). I showed off my New Kids on the Block gear, and we proceeded to have a very on-trend pizza party with games and soda. Then my mom came in with the cake. It was supposed to be the chocolate fudge cake from Costco we had agreed on, but she went rogue and splurged on a “very special” spiced gourmet carrot cake instead. None of the girls touched it, which put a swift end to my very first American birthday party.
The sixth grader in me was mortified. I could not easily forgive my mom’s deviation from our plan, and for years afterward, carrot cake would stir up the trauma of that weird day between us. Looking back, I’d been convinced that she and my dad were out to sabotage my attempts to fit in.
One secret, though, I’ve never really told anyone: that carrot cake was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. By sharing the recipe here, I not only honor my mother’s well-intentioned kindness on that ill-fated day, but I use our family’s yogurt in this re-creation.
Fragrant spices make the carrots sing in this extremely moist cake. It will fit in on (almost) any occasion.
Note: While unstrained yogurt works best in the cake, strained Greek-style yogurt or labneh is more suitable for the frosting. See page 50 for tips on straining.
Excerpted from Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life by Homa Dashtaki. Copyright © 2023 by Homa Dashtaki. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
Makes 1
9-inch cake
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups grated carrots (from about 4 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed)
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (do not use Greek here), at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup strained (Greek-style) yogurt or Labneh
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar
Cake
-
⅓
cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
-
1¼
cups all-purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon baking powder
-
½
teaspoon baking soda
-
½
teaspoon kosher salt
-
2
teaspoons ground cinnamon
-
1
teaspoon ground ginger
-
½
teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
¼
teaspoon ground allspice
-
⅛
teaspoon ground cloves
-
2
cups grated carrots (from about 4 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed)
-
½
cup plain whole milk yogurt (do not use Greek here), at room temperature
-
2
large eggs, at room temperature
-
½
cup granulated sugar
-
¼
cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
-
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
-
1
cup strained (Greek-style) yogurt or Labneh
-
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
-
3
tablespoons maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar
Directions
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01Preheat the oven to 350°F.
-
02Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or any 9-inch cake pan). Grease the bottom of the cake pan with oil, then fit it with the parchment round. Make sure it’s smooth. Grease the parchment and the sides of the pan.
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03Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add the carrots and stir to coat fully with the dry ingredients.
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04In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, eggs, both sugars, and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two stages, stirring gently to incorporate fully.
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05Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Set the pan to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer out of the pan, gently peel off the parchment, and let cool completely on the wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before frosting.
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06To make the frosting, in a small bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt, vanilla, and maple syrup until smooth. Frost the cake generously and serve. Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
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