Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Basil Icing Trim

Take cream cheese out of the refrigerator and set on the counter so it is soft when you begin to make your icing. If the walnuts and carrots are not already chopped, add them to a food processor and pulse 2-3 times for 2–3 seconds at a time. Once they are thoroughly combined, set them aside.

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease 3 cake tins.

Combine all of the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with a mixer for about 1–2 minutes or until all ingredients are combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, carrots, walnuts, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. You can either mix these with a large spoon or whisk them together to create a more evenly distributed mixture.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients by adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients slowly. Mix for 2–4 minutes or until batter is a smooth mixture.

Pour cake batter into 3 greased cake tins and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. To test the cake layers, stick a toothpick through each of them. If the toothpick comes out of the cake clean, then the cake is done. If it comes out with batter on it, the cakes need more time.

When cake layers are done baking, remove from oven and set aside so they can cool before you ice the cake. I would suggest letting them cool for at least 1 hour before icing.

For the icing:
Melt butter in the microwave.

Mix melted butter, cream cheese (that’s been sitting on the counter), powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed until everything is completely incorporated. This mixture may take up to 10 minutes depending on how soft your cream cheese is.

Ice your cake!

For the basil icing (optional):
Combine basil leaves, vanilla, and melted butter into a blender. (I used a small blender because this combination is not a large mixture.)

In a small mixing bowl, combine basil mixture with powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Mix on medium for 2–3 minutes or until all ingredients are combined.