I’m going to be baking an important cake, a carrot cake. The layers will be baked the day before I ice and decorate the cake.
Sometimes grated carrot turns color, getting too dark or even a little greenish, even when the cake is only day old. I’ve been looking around to find the answer, but so far have had not luck. This is a wedding cake for my boss and I don’t want it screwed up, so if anyone has any knowledge of how to be sure of preventing the carrots being discolored, I’d sure appreciate hearing about it.
I *think *a little lemon juice should help prevent discoloration. Failing that, some orange or lime juice should do the trick, too. I believe it’s the vitamin C that acts as an anti-oxidant.
I’d try baking a test cake a day or two before you bake the real thing to see how it turns out.
That has never happened to me. But usually citrus juice is good for oxidation.
This is the recipe I use (as printed in “The New York Cookbook”). It’s an oil cake – the baker says it holds its texture and moisture more reliably than butter cake – I wonder if butter creates a different result vis a vis the carrots?