internally iced

Cream Cheese Swirl Carrot Cake. When I worked at a bakery (which, in hindsight, was completely awesome), the only thing I disliked more than making pie crusts was making frosting.

And I made A LOT of frosting.

Sifting copious amounts of powdered sugar is always messy, and I was never satisfied until the consistency of the frosting was perfectly spreadable and containing no pesky lumps. It was always a process, but the silver lining was that when I was done making the frosting, I got to apply it and decorate with swirls and rosettes and happy words! I've never considered myself artistic but I was almost always proud of my creations.

I still dislike making frosting, so when my husband started talking about carrot cake, I decided to compromise and put the frosting on the inside. This is a generously spiced, very moist, and dense cake, and those blobs of sweetened cream cheese scattered throughout the loaf are a pleasant and lovely addition. I would consider adding orange zest next time to either the cream cheese or the cake, as I think a little citrus definitely wouldn't hurt.

You could absolutely double this recipe to make a full bundt cake, and I'm sure it would look like even more of a showstopper. You could also add a glaze, but I found it unnecessary. Yes, I of the sweetest of sweet teeth decided additional sweetness was not required.*

*I did eat it with ice cream, though...

Loaf of Carrot and Cream Cheese
(printable recipe)

Makes 1 9x5-inch loaf cake
Ingredients:
Cake:

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated carrots (1-2 large)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream cheese:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together until combined and smooth; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold the ingredients together until just combined.
Fold in the carrots and pecans, then spread half of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.
To make the cream cheese filling, in a medium bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy.
Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and beat on high speed until completely combined.
Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture in an even layer on top of the carrot cake batter.
Spread the remaining carrot cake batter evenly on top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes inside the pan.
After 15 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.