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Carrot Patch Cake

A chocolate cake with a surprise carrot inside, topped with ganache and cookie crumbs to look like a carrot patch.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 16.5 ounce box white cake mix, using ingredients on the box (mine required water, oil and 3 egg whites)
  • 8 drops McCormick Red Food Coloring
  • 50 drops McCormick Yellow Food Coloring
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Orange Extract
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream decoration
  • 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips decoration
  • 1 cup of crushed chocolate cookies decoration
  • green licorice cut into small strips

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 11 x 17 jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Mix the white cake mix according to the packaged instructions. Add in the orange food coloring and orange extract. Spread into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely.
  3. Using a carrot shaped cookie cutter, cut a lot of carrots. I only needed half of my cake. Place the carrots on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 20 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Beat the wet and dry ingredients together until combined.
  5. Place the carrots facing downwards in a solid line, in the middle of your greased 9×5 loaf pan. Pour the chocolate batter around and over the carrots. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, before inverting it onto a cooling rack.
  6. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until it begins to steam. Remove from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes. Stir and let come to room temperature or until a pourable consistency. Pour over the cake. Sprinkle the cake with chocolate crumbs and decorate with the green licorice.

Notes

Freezing the carrot shapes helps them hold their shape when baking. The cake is inverted so the carrot tops show.