Carrot Cake
This easy carrot cake recipe will blow you away with its simplicity. It is moist and soft, with
perfectly balanced flavors from sweet carrots and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 629kcal
Author John Kanell
Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
9-inch round cake pans
Wire rack
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⅓ cup vegetable oil (320ml)
1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (10mL)
3 cups grated carrots (from 1 pound of carrots) (315g)
1 cup chopped pecans (120g)
For the Frosting:
1 (8-ounce/227g) block cream cheese room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar (480-600g)
Instructions
For the Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray
or butter, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well
combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir together just until
combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.
4. Fold the carrots and pecans into the batter. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared
pans.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake layers to cool completely in the pans set on a wire cooling rack. Once
cooled, invert the layers and remove the parchment paper.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until very soft and smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the cream cheese and beat until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
2. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. (Use more sugar for a
firmer, sweeter frosting.) Once combined, scrap down the bowl and add the vanilla. Beat
on medium-low speed until fluffy and easily spreadable, about 1 minute.
For the Assembly:
1. Place one cooled cake layer top-side up on a cake stand or serving platter and spread ¾
cup of frosting over the top, all the way to the edge of the cake. Place the other cake layer
top-side down on top. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake.
2. If you desired, you can save some of the frosting to pipe decorations onto the cake or
press chopped toasted pecans onto the frosting. Chill the cake for 30 minutes to set the
frosting before slicing. Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes
Weigh the flour. No one likes dry carrot cake, so it’s important to not use too much flour
in the batter. The most accurate way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale. If you don’t
have one, fluff up the flour in its container and spoon it into the measuring cup, using a
knife to level off the top.
Use room temperature ingredients. To ensure they incorporate easily with the other
ingredients, ensure that the eggs, butter, and cream cheese are at room temperature
when you start baking. Simply set them out on your kitchen counter 30 to 45 minutes
beforehand. You can cut butter and cream cheese into chunks so it softens faster.
Shred carrots at home using a box grater or your food processor. Pre-shredded
carrots are dry and too thick and will affect the texture of the carrot cake.
Vary the mix-ins in this carrot cake recipe: Swap pecans for chopped walnuts. Or,
reduce the nuts to ½ cup and add ½ cup dark or golden raisins along with ¼ cup
sweetened shredded coconut.
To use less oil: You can replace ⅓ cup of vegetable oil with an equal amount of
applesauce or canned crushed pineapple (drained well).
Use a block of cream cheese…not the kind that comes in a tub. Otherwise, you’ll end up
with runny cream cheese frosting.
Chill the carrot cake before slicing. This allows the frosting to firm up, yielding neater
slices.
To make an 8-inch layer cake: Divide the batter among three 8-inch round cake pans
(greased and lined as directed in the recipe) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Spread ¾ cup
frosting between the layers.
To make a sheet cake: Grease but do not line a 9x13-inch cake pan. Fill with batter and
bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in the pan and spread the frosting on top of
the cake. You can halve the frosting recipe if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg |
Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 168mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 4437IU | Vitamin C: 1mg |
Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
Thank You! https://preppykitchen.com/carrot-and-walnut-cake/
