Secret Westchester Bakery Recipe Revealed

Topps Bakery in Lower Westchester is revealing the recipe for their beloved carrot cake. The bakery's carrot cake has been the cake of choice for people in the Bronxville area since at least the 1940s. Here are the details from Topps in Bronxville.

In preparation for Easter 2013, Topps has decided to reveal the secret recipe, so its lore can be shared for decades to come. Says Topps co-owner R. Heath Lachman, “We are always so excited to make available numerous Easter-season-only items, including traditional lamb cakes, whimsical Easter basket cupcakes, bunny-shaped meltaways and hundreds of handmade classic chocolate bunnies, but nothing is more requested for Easter dinner each year, than the carrot cake.  We thought it would be lots of fun and a huge surprise for local residents, to share the recipe.”  Photos of the items are on the store’s Facebook page  or at the website.

The bunny-favorite-food, carrots, and this local favorite cake, have inspired Topps to curate a whole line of carrot-shaped items for this Easter including: cookies, foil-covered chocolates, suckers and orange jelly bean-filled triangle bags with green bows. 

TOPPS BAKERY CARROT CAKE RECIPE

Dry ingredients first:

            28 lbs.               Sugar

            20 lbs.               All-purpose flour

            5 oz.                Salt

            7 oz.                 Cinnamon

            13 oz.               Baking Soda

Mix for 2 mins. at slow speed.

Next add to this dry mix:

            7 lbs.                 Canned Crushed Pineapple

            10 lbs.               CARROTS, fresh are peeled then chopped in food processor

            6 lbs.                Sweet Coconut Flakes

Mix for 2 mins. on next higher speed

Then add slowly, while the mixer is still on 2nd speed:

            80                    Whole Fresh Eggs

            20 Pumps         Vanilla (= 1 cup)

Move mixer back down to the slower speed for 2 mins., followed by 2 mins. at 2nd speed.                     Last ingredient is:

            2 Gallons           Vegetable Oil

Slow the mixer back down to the first speed and VERY slowly add the oil.  It mixes for 5 mins. after all oil is added.

Stop the mixer at this point to scrape the whole bowl and fold the ingredients, to make certain nothing is clumping or not completely combining.

Finally, put on the 2nd speed for 5 mins. and let it finish completely mixing.

Next grease 100 6” cake pans

Scoop the mix into the cake pan to just under ½ full.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 mins., until you can insert a knife and it pulls out clean.

Take out of frame and cool.

While cooling, prepare the Icing Recipe:

Mix on slow speed for 5 mins.

            50 lbs.              Cream Cheese

            25 lbs.               Butter

Slowly add

            40 lbs.              Powder Sugar

            5 Pumps           Vanilla(=1/4 cup)

Mix on 2nd higher speed for 10 mins. Scrape bowl periodically to ensure complete mixture.

Ice cooled cakes.

We pipe cute orange carrots with green leaves around the top of our cakes in the store with food color dyed icing.