This Mother’s Day Treat Mom to the Infamous Steele’s Bakery Carrot Cake

Over the years I have had multiple Steele’s Markets customers ask me for bakery recipes. These recipes have been difficult to re-create for home cooks as they were made in huge quantities. I have perfected the angel food cake and have been working on carrot cake—my personal favorite. I feel it is finally ready to share.

The chef who gave Steele’s this delicious cake was from a European country. My husband remembers Czechoslovakia, but that doesn’t seem right to me. At any rate, after working for us for a few years, Disney snatched him up, and to the best of our knowledge, he is still baking for the happiest place on earth. We are grateful to have enjoyed and sold his delicious carrot cake, which contained a charming blend of spices. Most carrot cake recipes use only cinnamon, but he included allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Yummy!

You might be tempted to buy pre-shredded carrots for this cake, but don’t. Pre-shredded carrots are too stringy and thick and won’t yield the right texture. Also, they can be a bit dry, so your cake won’t be as moist as you like. Because shredding carrots is a time consuming task, consider shredding the carrots the day before you make the cake. Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Baking cakes at higher elevations can be frustrating. Luckily, the CSU Extension Office has tips to make this more successful. I have taken their recommendations to heart. For better outcomes at high elevations, they recommend reducing sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and increasing liquids. In the recipe that follows I have noted “HAB (High Altitude Baking)” and reduced or increased those ingredients per their recommendations. When following these adjustments, my carrot cake came out nicely.

This Mother’s Day treat your favorite mom to the Steele’s Bakery Infamous Carrot Cake.

Steele’s Bakery Infamous Carrot Cake

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar – HAB – reduce 1 ½ tablespoons

1 tablespoon baking powder – HAB – reduce by ⅛ teaspoon

2 teaspoons baking soda – HAB – reduce by ⅛ teaspoon

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

⅔ cup whole buttermilk – HAB – increase by 2 tablespoons

⅔ cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups grated carrots, about 10 medium

2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, place flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

In a medium bowl, place buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk to blend. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well of the flour mixture, whisking until combined.

Use the large holes of a box grater to grate your carrots. Add carrots, pineapple, and nuts and fold until combined. Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and remove and cool on wire racks.

For the cream cheese frosting:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

¾ cups butter, softened, 1 ½ sticks

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, or to taste

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place cream cheese and butter and beat at a medium speed until creamy, well combined, and lump free. Add sugar,1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Increase the mixer speed to high, add vanilla, and beat for 1 minute.

To frost: Place a dollop of frosting on a cake plate to help secure the cake. Place 1 cake on the plate. Using a spatula, spread cake with a thick layer of frosting. Place the next cake on top. Start from the bottom and work upward, frosting the sides first. Rotate the cake as needed. Frost the top. Use the spatula to smooth the frosting. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.

Tips on selecting carrots: Select well-shaped carrots with smooth exteriors and closely trimmed tops. My father taught me the brighter the color, the sweeter the flavor. Do not buy soft, wilted, or split carrots. Dark, slimy, yellowed tops that are beginning to sprout are an indication of decay. Mini-peeled carrots should be plump, not slimy, broken, or whitish. For the freshest carrots, buy bunches with bright green, leafy tops. The tops deteriorate quickly once the carrots are harvested, so if the tops are green, it means they were recently picked.

Tips on storing carrots: Carrots should be stored in reusable bags or in their original plastic bag and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. If you buy carrots with green tops, remove the leaves before storing. Do not store carrots with fruit, like apples or pears. These fruits emit ethylene gas, which causes carrots to turn bitter. When buying mini carrots, check the “Best-If-Used-By” date.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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