Ingredients:
Cream cheese filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Carrot cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup finely grounded pecans
3/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange extract
2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
Orange creamsicle frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. For the cream cheese filling: Using a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg and beat for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and vanilla, mix until combined. Add flour and mix until combined. Transfer mixture to a small bowl for later.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt cake pan. Important to do both (grease and flour bundt pan) or cake can stick to pan due to cream cheese in batter.
3. Using a separate bowl of a stand mixer whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pecans. In a regular large bowl add the melted butter and eggs, beat until smooth. Add sour cream, vanilla and orange extract, mix until combined. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture in stand mixer and mix until just combined. Add the shredded carrots, mix until combined.
4. Add about 3 cups of the carrot cake batter to the bundt pan and level it out using a spatula. Add the cream cheese filling and level it out, followed by the rest of the cake batter.
5.Bake for 45 minutes, then cover bundt pan with foil reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer bundt pan to a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then remove cake from pan to a cake holder.
6. Meanwhile on a far away planet, as the cake is cooling. For the frosting: In a separate bowl of a stand mixture, add cream cheese and butter, beat until creamy. Add vanilla extract and orange zest, mix until combined. Add powered sugar and mix on the lowest speed then increase speed until all combined. Refrigerate frosting for at least 15 minutes. Once the cake has cooled, frost that cake and enjoy the creamsicle explosion.