Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Fold in grated carrots, walnut pieces, and coconut flakes, and stir to combine.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add in apple cider vinegar, and mix until just combined. This step can also be done by hand if you don’t have a mixer.

With the mixer on low, or in a bowl with a rubber spatula, add in dry ingredients until just combined, and no dry spots are visible. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into the two cake pans (or if you only have one, bake one half of the batter, let cool, remove, then bake the other half.)

Bake at 350° F for 40-45 mins, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the frosting. In the mixer or in a large bowl with a whisk, beat butter until creamy. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract, and mix until creamy and well-combined. If the frosting is too thick, use a rubber spatula to mix and add a tablespoon of water to thin out the frosting to desired consistency.

Use a rubber spatula or an offset spatula, to spread approximately ⅓ of frosting between layers, ⅓ of frosting on the top layer of the cake, and ⅓ around the side of the cake. Decorate with coconut flakes.