Gajar ka Halwa Cake (Indian-Inspired Carrot Cake)

Yield: 8–10 servings (one 8" cake)

Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ tsp salt
¹/₃ cup (75g) Pure Indian Foods Original Ghee, melted & cooled slightly
¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (57g) water, warm
2 Tbsp (28g) whole milk
2 Tbsp (28g) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (99g) grated carrots
¼ cup (22g) sliced almonds

Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (227g) cream cheese, softened
½ cup (27g) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup (284g) heavy cream, cold

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and line the bottom of two 8" round cake pans with circles of parchment paper; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted ghee and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add water, milk, cream, and vanilla, whisking to combine.
Add half of flour mixture, mixing with a silicone spatula until almost combined. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.
Fold in grated carrots and sliced almonds.
Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. (There will be roughly 325g of batter in each pan.)
Bake for 15–20 minutes. Cake layers are done when a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean with only a few fluffy crumbs attached.
Transfer pans to wire rack. After 15 minutes, gently remove cake layers from pans, place on wire rack, and allow to cool completely.
Once cake layers are totally cool, it’s frosting time! In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add confectioners’ sugar, beating to combine. Then mix in cardamom and vanilla, scraping down bowl as necessary.
With mixer on high, slowly pour in cold cream along the inside edge of bowl, avoiding the paddle. Pause and scrape down bowl as necessary. Continue beating until frosting has thickened and stiff-ish peaks have formed.
Put a small blob of frosting in the middle of your cake board (or turntable or cake stand) to help keep the cake in place. Then lay down one cake layer.
Spread one half of frosting (about 250g) across top of cake layer, then carefully place second cake layer on top. Spread remaining frosting on top.
For the naked cake look, use an offset spatula to spread a thin crumb coat over the sides of the cake.
Place cake in fridge to chill for 15–30 minutes.
Decorate with shaved carrot strips, chopped almonds, candied carrot peel rosettes, chopped pistachios, shredded carrots, or whatever else you like!