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Carrot Upside Down Cake
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Roasted Carrot Upside Down Cake

A riff on my Ultimate Carrot Cake, this simple recipe is sure to please any carrot cake lovers. It comes together quickly and is wonderful with the cream cheese whipped cream!
Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

Roasted Carrots

  • 6 to 8 whole carrots peeled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • kosher salt

Carrot Cake

  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 5 Tbsp (70g) unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cake Batter

  • 2 cups (225g) loosely packed finely grated carrots
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (140g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp (125g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) lightly packed brown sugar 
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp / 150ml mild-flavored oil  such as vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Finely grated zest of 1/4 large orange 
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (75g) loosely packed sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup (80g) chopped dried fruit  such as apricots, raisins, cherries

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese chilled
  • 2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Roasted Carrots

  • Preheat oven to 400℉. On a baking sheet covered with foil, lay the carrots in a single layer. Coat them with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake until tender, about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots. This can be done a day ahead.

Carrot Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ / 175℃ with a rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Grease an 8x3-inch cake pan and line it with a greased parchment round.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the 1/2 cup sugar and 5 Tbsp. butter, until melted. Add lemon juice and whisk to combine. Pour the sugar mixture into the prepared pan.
  • Split the roasted carrots lengthwise and arrange them over the sugar mixture.

Cake Batter

  • In a food processor, chop the grated carrots finely.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, the oil, eggs, vanilla, orange zest, coconut, dried fruit, and carrots. Then add the dry ingredients and mix just until uniformly combined. Pour the batter over the carrots.
  • Bake until set in the middle, about 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
  • Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with cream cheese whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

  • In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese, sugar, maple and vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream and whip on medium speed until medium-stiff peaks. Serve immediately. Leftovers will last for a day.