Commissary Carrot Cake

1-1/4 cups corn oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
4 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins

Pecan Cream Filling:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. soft unsalted butter
8 oz. soft cream cheese
1 box (1 lb.) powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Assembly:
1-1/2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

Directions:

Pecan Cream Filling:
In a heavy saucepan, blend well the flour, sugar and salt. Gradually stir in the cream. Add the butter. Cook and stir the mixture over a low heat until the butter has melted, then let simmer for 20-30 minutes until golden brown in color, stirring occasionally. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in the nuts and vanilla. Let cool and refrigerate, preferably overnight. If too thick to spread, bring to room temperature before using.

Carrot Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a greased and floured 10" tube cake pan. In a large bowl, wisk together the corn oil and sugar. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture and blend.

Alternately, sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one by one. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour into the prepared tube pan and bake for 70 minutes. Cool upright on a cooling rack. If you are not using the cake that day it can be removed from the pan, wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature.

Cheese Cream Filling:
Cream the butter well. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Sift in the sugar and add the vanilla. If it is too soft to spread, chill a bit. Chill if not using immediately, but bring to room
temperature before spreading.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until it colors lightly. Toss the coconut occasionally while it is baking so that it browns evenly. Cool completely. Have the filling and the frosting at a spreadable consistency. Loosen the cake in it's pan and invert onto a serving plate. With a long serving knife, carefully split the cake into three horizontal layers. Spread the filling between the layers. Spread the frosting over the top and sides. Pat the coconut onto the sides of the cake.

User Reviews:

This is a favorite in my family. Recipe has an error though - needs 1 tsp baking soda as many have pointed out. Recently, I substituted a 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 of oil. I didn't tell anyone; everyone raved about the cake and no one remarked that the cake was any different. It was an easy way to save calories. I used homemade, sugarless applesauce as that's what I have, but my son made it for his college floor with commercial no sugar added applesauce. He thought it was great.

submitted by morsekathan on December 04, 2007

I am a chef who got my start at J. Alexanders. This is the best carrot cake I have ever had. I would suggest some things though. I made this cake as two round cake pans and made a half recipe of the filling and just put it between the two rounds. (The whole recipe of filling was way too much, although it is incredible and would suggest it on ice cream).The baking soda should be 1 tsp. The icing ratio is not right. It should have 12 oz. of cream cheese and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. The given recipe just did not taste like cream cheese. Also, I suggest skipping the coconut. This cake is so incredibly rich it does not need it and would just be too much. For those of you trying to duplicate the J. Alexanders recipe, I think this is actually better. They do however make their's in one layer on sheet pans and there is no filling and no coconut (at least when I worked there.) I have worked in some amazing restaurants and have never had carrot cake this good. Tasted great the first 2 days, on the third day flavor was not as good.

submitted by erdmanjn on December 02, 2007

It's delicous even when the nuts settle to the bottom. Any tips to prevent this? Would flouring them help? THanks.

Submitted by dorothyrockey on December 02, 2007

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