If you need an excuse to bake a carrot cake, this carrot cake baked in a glass dish needs you! The tasting panel chose it in a side-by-side comparison to another recipe, but I'd like to hear from another baker. The recipe appears similar to other carrot cakes, but the texture is tight crumbed and light and the cake is thicker and taller thanks to the dish size. But what is really special about this cake is its dark brown color, which I've attributed to baking soda.
Using a full tablespoon of baking soda in a recipe makes me edgy. Some people taste it and some people don't. For me, it leaves a lingering sensation on the tongue which isn't entirely unpleasant depending on what it's baked into. For instance, baking soda's aftertaste is okay with ginger cookies, and based on this recipe, carrot cake.
Baking Soda for a Browner Carrot Cake
After I made this cake I made a half batch version of an almost identical recipe that used 1 teaspoon of baking soda and some baking powder. It also called for some brown sugar. Without the added baking soda, the color was less brown even with added brown sugar. So baking soda, not brown sugar, is what gives carrot cakes a browner color. I first realized this back when I made this banana bread baked at a low temperature. It has over a tablespoon of baking soda and becomes very dark as it bakes.
Alkalinity of Baking Soda Breaks Down Carrots
There's also the factor of the chemistry of baking soda in carrot cakes. Baking soda makes the batter alkaline, and the alkalinity of the batter breaks down the cellulose walls of the carrots (thank you Cook's Illustrated) so that they release moisture into the batter. So along with a browner cake, you get a moister cake with carrots that are more integrated into the cake. Using baking powder gives you more flakiness.
Glass Dish vs Metal Pan
So back to the dish. I usually bake cakes in metal pans, but sometimes for aesthetic reasons I use a glass dish. The most common size for cakes is 9x13 inch, but I wanted to make a slightly taller cake and baked this one in an 8x12 inch glass dish. For a more even bake, I used 325 instead of 350, which goes with the rule of cutting the temperature by 25 degrees when using glass over metal. I usually do, but a lot of times I'll forget to lower the heat when using glass and won't have any problems other than slightly chewier or browner edges.
Recipe
Carrot Cake Baked in an 8x12 Inch Glass Dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (9.8 oz/275 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon teaspoon of kosher salt (scant), Morton brand
- 1 cup vegetable oil or grapeseeed oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or just use another egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups 10 oz grated carrots (or shredded and chopped) (280 grams)
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 ounces butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 12 inch glass baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a second mixing bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, milk, eggs, mayonnaise and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until mixed. Stir in the carrots.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake appears set. It will go from orange to a deep brown. Let the cake cool completely, then frost with cream cheese frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then stir in the powdered sugar. Beat until creamy, then beat in the vanilla. Spread over cake
Anna says
Hi Amy! Wow, thanks so much for trying it! Glad you liked it. Interesting about the edges, though. Mine didn't caramelize, but it's probably just a difference in oven temps. Ovens can be weird. Thanks for taking the time to review.
Amy says
I made this with my son over the weekend, and we all loved it! I especially love the edges, which got extra brown and crunchy. They almost tasted caramelized. I didn't expect that, so it was a delicious surprise. We will probably make this again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Christine from Cook the Story says
I love carrot cake, and yours looks amazing!
Anna says
Bev, I like the Silver Palate recipe too. I may try making it in an 8x12 inch dish one day.
Darlene, thanks! Let me know if you try the cake.
I'm just not noticing that the photo is kind of blurry, so I'm going to try to find a better one.
Darlene says
Thanks for all the great hints and information! I would have been hesitant to put that much baking soda in this cake without some baking powder if I hadn't read your explanation. Also, I appreciate your specificity concerning the type and size of baking dish. Information like that makes such a difference when trying to duplicate the outcome of a recipe.
Beverly says
I like the tight texture of your cake in this photo; it makes for neater portions when cutting. My favorite carrot cake recipe is the one from the Silver Palate, which uses cooked carrots, which are pureed. The carrot puree holds the cake together. I also like coconut in carrot cake, but I pulse it in the food processor so the coconut flakes or shreds don't get caught in the knife and cause crumbles when cutting.