My daughter is getting married next Autumn and has asked me to make a carrot cake. I presume I need a firm recipe which wont collapse. It's for over 100 people so would like to have 3 layers but never having made more than one cake at a time I am just wondering if I will be able to do it. I think these are my main questions:

1. Is it possible to have 3 tiers of carrot cake, without them collapsing? Would they just sit one on top of the other?

2. What is the best icing to make. I know carrot cake usually has a cream cheese frosting but would it be possible to make it the day before.

3. I shall make the cakes and freeze them. Would it be possible to freeze them after icing?

Any suggestions, recipes and pictures would be most welcome. I am not very artistic but can copy a picture quite well!

I love making cakes but normally just lemon cakes or victoria sponges!

Thank you so much for any help - I am starting to panic already!

I use carrot cake for weddings all the time. I use the Whimsical Bakehouse recipe. You can make as many tiers as you want as long as you use good structure support. (There are lots of threads on here about stacking tiers. ) I make my carrot cakes ahead of time and then wrap them well and freeze them. Then take them out the day before they are needed, ice them with cream cheese frosting and then chill them. The next day, I can cover them with fondant. I have also used regular buttercream with Lorann oil cheesecake flavoring for an outdoor wedding where the cake was going to set outside for several hours.

Tiered cakes are not about the cake - they're all about the support system. May I suggest SPS?

Thanks so much for the replies. Have now ordered that book - looks interesting and fun. Managed to find out what SPS meant but not sure it's available in the UK?

One other thing, I had imagined just icing the cake with the cream cheese frosting but I presume you layer it in the cake and use fondant icing for the outside. Used to use fondant ready to roll icing on the kids birthday cakes (and add varous food colours to it) - is this what you mean?

Many thanks again.

The Mich Turner (Little Venice Cake Company) has a high density carrot cake that is yum! It's specifically designed for tiered wedding cakes. Let me know and I can PM it to you.

No - you can't get SPS in this country - trust me I've tried! Your only option is to get it shipped (or do as I do and bribe friends with cake to bring me them back when they go on hols!)

Southern Living Carrot Cake recipe
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/best-carrot-cake-10000000257583/
This is the very best carrot cake recipe ever. Right after baking, you pour on buttermilk glaze. I then use decorator's cream cheese frosting.

I use this all the time for wedding cakes and people RAVE about it!

Decorator's Cream Cheese frosting
One stick of unsalted butter
One stick of Crisco
One 8oz cream cheese
Mix well.
add 1/2 tsp salt
on Tablespoon vanilla
mix well.

Gradually add 2lbs. of powered sugar.
This icing will crust and let you use the Viva paper towel method to smooth.
Good Luck!

In my pics the western wedding was all carrot cake. All three tiers were frozen (unfrosted) and transported over 800 miles. They were set up using bubble tea straws as supports and worked wonderfully. I used cream cheese frosting but it was difficult to smooth as the ski lodge the reception was at was FREEZING! Reminder: this was my first wedding cake so don't look too close!

I make a "Canadian Living" recipe for carrot cake that uses crushed pineapple in the mix. Keeps the cake wonderfully moist and this recipe isn't overly spicey either. You can double the recipe, bake it in different size pans and it always comes out beautifully. I always get rave reviews. The link I'm giving you allows you to change the size of the cake(s) you want and recalcuates the ingredient list.

I've also frozen this cake with the cream cheese frosting on it and it defrosts without any problems and without affecting the taste.

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/canadas_best_carrot_cake_with_cream_cheese_icing.php

You are all such a helpful lot.....and teaching me a whole new language!
e.g. what is decorators cream cheese frosting? Also not sure we can buy crisco over here?

Thanks for the tip about freezing the cake, with the frosting - that will be really useful - might have other things to do the day before!

Don't worry I will definitely be doing a test run before the big day!

Going to ask my daughters to buy the SPS when they visit New York in October. Any idea of the price and where to obtain it?

So many questions.....sorry!

Are you using fondant? Make sure that you don't use cream cheese frosting under the fondant, it can disintegrate the fondant. I have used LoRann cream cheese flavored oil in BC frosting, but it isn't necessary, really, when there is sufficient cream cheese filling.

Earlene Folwer's Carrot cake recipe is excellent. It is the second from the bottom. This recipe also includes pineapple. http://www.earlenescakes.com/recipes.htm The decorator icing that she used has a cream cheese base. Clickon icings at the top of that page and it will take you to her cream cheese buttercream recipe.

I got a fantastic carrot cake recipe from allrecipes.com. Got major rave reviews. And then I iced it with a white chocolate cream cheese buttercream that was a variation of Indydebi's buttercream so it definitely crusted. Huge hit with everyone!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-carrot-cake-ever/detail.aspx

The recipe says a 10" cake but I baked it in two 9" cake pans (the normal 2" high pans). It doesn't rise a lot so it's quite dense. I also read the reviews and added 1 tsp of allspice and 1 tsp of nutmeg to the recipe and soaked the raisins for the hour in the drained pineapple juice.

The recipe for the buttercream is on page 3 of this thread http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=685989&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=30
It's Mamawrobin's variation of Indydebi's buttercream.

HI I know your carrot cake post was a long time ago but I would really appreciate the recipe

Thanks 

Janine