carrots & cake, cake & carrots

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i learned a few lessons with this here cake. 1. if you're going to be "grating" over a cup of anything, toss that cheapo grater in your cabinet and buy a damn good one. 2. read the recipe in entirety before you start (so you don't find yourself freaking out when the icing calls for creating a "bain-marie"). 

1 cup of walnuts
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1/2 a lemon
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 cup of raisins

1. preheat oven to 350F. grease  two 9-inch cake pans. place walnuts on a baking sheet; when the oven is hot, toast the walnuts for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they smell divine. remove the walnuts from the oven, and allow them to cool. (when cool, roughly chop the nuts, reserving a couple of whole ones, to garnish the cake with, if you like.)
2. peel the carrots and trim the ends off. grate the carrots *see cheapo grater lesson above*. peel the ginger (use a spoon–it’s easier than a vegetable peeler), and then grate the ginger. in a small bowl, stir the ginger into the carrots & set bowl aside. 
3. in a large bowl, beat together the eggs and the sugar. add vanilla. in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, the kosher salt, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. fold the dry ingredients into the wet, alternatively adding the melted coconut oil and the yogurt as you go. zest both the lemon and the orange directly into the mixing bowl. add the chopped walnuts, the raisins, and the carrots/ginger; fold to incorporate.
4. divide the batter between the two pans & bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. remove the cakes from the oven, and allow them to cool completely before icing.

12 ounces cream cheese
two sticks of butter (softened)
3/4 cup of mascarpone cheese (softened)
2 teaspoons vanilla
lil bit of salt
8 cups of powdered sugar
4(ish) tablespoons of milk
*i found this recipe shortly after the bain-marie escapade. since it is intended for cupcakes, i doubled the original recipe. this meant a ton of leftover icing that i (of course) consumed while waiting for the cake to bake.

1. mix cream cheese until soft and creamy- about 3 minutes w/ mixer set on medium speed. 
2. add butter and the mascarpone cheese & mix until well combined,
3. add the rest of the ingredient. add more milk to reach desired consistency.
4. ice that cake & grab a fork.

*cake recipe via food52 / icing recipe via blahnikbaker