German Chocolate Carrot Cake
German Chocolate Carrot Cake - Layers of carrot cake and cream cheese frosting; slathered in German chocolate frosting making it the best carrot cake ever.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 32 ounces carrot baby food or 1 3/4 cup carrot puree. I use the baby food every time
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, gently spray 2 – 9 inch round baking pans with cooking oil and set aside.
- Mix all of the ingredients listed above together until smooth and there are no chunks. Pour batter into the prepared pan, making sure to divide evenly.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack until completely cooled.While the cake is cooling prepare frostings. Make German Chocolate Cake Frosting first, so that it has time to cool.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk and cornstarch and mix; add in sugar, egg yolks, margarine and vanilla. Cook over low-medium heat until it reaches a slow boil. Stirring constantly until thick, about 12 minutes from when it starts to slowly boil. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut, this frosting will thicken up as it cools. Let the frosting completely cool. I sit it out at room temp for about an hour, you can also place in the fridge after 30 minutes to help speed up the process.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cake Instructions
- Once cakes are completely cool, remove from pans. Place on cake on cake stand or serving plate.Top with cream cheese frosting. Set in fridge 5-10 minutes to allow the cream cheese frosting to become cold so that when you add the next cake it won’t come out the sides.
- Add the second cake on top of the cream cheese frosting and frosting with cream cheese frosting.Set in fridge again for 10 minutes.Remove cake from fridge and frost the outside of the cake with one layer of German Chocolate Cake frosting. You will have a thin layer and that is perfect, set in the fridge to set frosting for 10 minutes. Remove from fridge and frosting again with German Chocolate Cake frosting, making a thick second coat. Set in the fridge to set again.
- Remove from fridge and serve. If you are making this cake for a later time, make sure to remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
You don’t have to set in the fridge between layering the frostings and cakes but I do just to help with the presentation of the cake. But if you are pressed for time, don’t stress about it.
You may or may not use all of the frosting, I usually have a 1/3 – ½ cup of frosting left over for both the cream cheese and German Chocolate Cake frostings.
Total recipe time does not include time for cake to cool.