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SPIRIT BEAR CAKE

Carrot Pecan Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
Author: Roseanne Carrara, The Lunchbox Season

Equipment

  • One 10-inch cake pan
  • One 6-inch cake pan
  • Cupcake tin
  • Parchment
  • Piping bag and nozzles for icing

Ingredients

The Lunchbox Season's Famous Carrot Pecan Cake

  • 1 1/4 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c white sugar
  • 4 x-large eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 lemon zest of
  • 3/4 c unsalted butter melted
  • 3/4 c good vegetable oil
  • 2 c all purpose flour [we use unbleached for our fancy cakes]
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cardamom [optional but worth it!]
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1 c shredded coconut sweetened or no, and toasted if desired
  • 1 1/2 c pecan pieces chopped a little, toasted if desired
  • 3 3/4 c grated carrots half fine grate, half cheese grate
  • OR
  • 3 1/4 c grated carrots half fine grate, half cheese grate
  • AND
  • 1 cup of drained chopped pineapple pieces

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

  • 9 tbs butter
  • 12 oz [1 1/2] packages light cream cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 5-6 c icing sugar/confectioner's sugar
  • 2-4 tbs additional lemon juice

Decorator's Extras

  • a tube of brown or black decorator icing or about 1/2 cup of the icing above coloured brown or black and added to a piping bag
  • 3 cups of coconut, one un-toasted, one toasted to a very light brown, and one toasted to a slightly darker brown but not burnt

Instructions

Bake the Cake

  • Heat oven to 350.
  • Fill two holes in a standard cupcake tin with paper liners.
  • Line the bottoms of two round baking pans with parchment
  • [We used one each: 6 in, 10 in. For a standard layer cake: two 9 in]
  • [Use a few dabs of butter or baking spray to stick down.]
  • Coat the inside edges of the pans with baking spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and zest.
  • Drizzle in the butter and oil and continue to whisk until well blended.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients [except the carrots, nuts, and coconut] together in a small bowl.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients, whisking occasionally.
  • Stir in the carrots, nuts, [pineapple] and coconut with a spatula.
  • Place about 1 c of batter in each of the cupcake tins, filling about 3/4 full.
  • Fill each of the two round pans about 3/4 full.
  • Place cake pans and cupcake tin in the oven. [I had the cupcakes on the lower rack]
  • Bake cupcakes for a total of 20-25 minutes.
  • Bake cakes for a total of 32-38 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
  • Let cakes sit for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack and cooling completely.
  • Unwrap the cupcakes after they have cooled completely.

Make the Icing

  • Cream the butter, cream cheese, 1 tbs lemon juice and vanilla in a mixer.
  • Add the icing sugar by the cupful until blended in.
  • Add more lemon juice by the teaspoon-full until the icing is of spreadable consistency.

Assembly and Decoration

  • Place the larger round cake on your serving pan and frost.
  • Place the unwrapped cupcakes on their sides as "ears" at about 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock around the main cake and frost.
  • [Trim the cupcakes to create shape if you wish.]
  • Place the smaller round cake on top of the larger round cake  towards the lower edge of the circle [6 o'clock] and frost.
  • Use a fork to add texture to the frosting if you like.
  • Add a frosting tip to your dark decorator icing or grab a piping bag full of darkened icing and draw in eyes, nose and inner ears.
  • Add a variety of shades of coconut to the ears mouth and face.
  • Touch-up the frosting eyes and nose if so desired.
  • Enjoy!