This straightforward carrot cake recipe is certainly one of our favourite desserts! It is splendidly moist and warmly spiced. Tangy cream cheese frosting takes it excessive.
Jack declared this carrot cake recipe the very best he’s ever tried. Coming from him, that’s excessive reward, as a result of carrot cake is his favourite dessert of all time!
I don’t disagree with him although. I feel this carrot cake recipe is nearly excellent! It has a beautiful moist crumb and heat depth of taste from spices, vanilla, and brown sugar. This cake is chock-full of freshly grated carrots, and whereas it’s scrumptious plain, it actually shines with a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting on prime.
This carrot cake recipe is simple to make with primary components. It’s easy sufficient to be an on a regular basis dessert (two 9-inch spherical cake pans are the one particular tools you’ll want!), nevertheless it’s completely celebration-worthy too. I’m making it for Jack’s birthday in a number of weeks, and it will be excellent for Easter or a festive spring brunch. I hope you like this recipe as a lot as we do!
Components You’ll Want
Right here’s what you’ll must make this straightforward carrot cake recipe:
- Carrots, in fact! All the time grate the carrots your self as a substitute of shopping for pre-grated ones on the retailer. Freshly grated carrots have much more moisture and have a tendency to have a finer texture. I usually use the massive holes of a field grater to shred carrots, however the grating disk of a meals processor works too!
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and degree it to keep away from packing an excessive amount of into your measuring cups.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They assist the cake puff up because it bakes.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Vegetable oil and applesauce – I tailored this basic carrot cake recipe from my wholesome carrot cake and vegan carrot cake, each of that are spins on my mother’s go-to carrot cake recipe. All of them share a secret ingredient: applesauce! It provides a delicate fruity sweetness and makes the cake splendidly moist. Vegetable oil perfects the moist texture too.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla – For heat, spiced depth of taste.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts – I prefer to fold some nuts into the cake batter for crunch. I additionally sprinkle them over the frosted cake for a reasonably garnish. Be happy to skip them should you choose your carrot cake with out nuts!
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
The best way to Make Carrot Cake
You’ll find the whole recipe with measurements on the backside of this submit, however for now, right here’s a step-by-step overview of the way it goes:
Begin by making ready your pans. Calmly grease them with vegetable oil or cooking spray, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whilst you’re at it, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Subsequent, make the batter. Whisk collectively the dry components in a medium bowl. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and whisk till properly mixed, then combine within the applesauce and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredient to the moist components and blend till simply mixed. Watch out to not overmix! It may possibly make the cake dense.
Fold within the carrots and pecans.
Subsequent, bake the cake layers. Evenly divide the batter between the ready pans. Switch them to the preheated oven and bake till the tops spring again to the contact and a toothpick inserted comes out clear, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let the truffles cool within the pans for 10 minutes earlier than turning them out and transferring them to a wire rack to chill fully.
Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake
Whereas this cake is gorgeous plain, it’s particularly scrumptious with cream cheese frosting on prime.
My cream cheese frosting recipe is simple to make with brick-style cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Heads up that you just’ll need the butter and cream cheese to be at room temperature if you make the frosting. I often allow them to sit on my counter for half-hour to 1 hour earlier than I make it.
Combine up the frosting whereas the cake cools, and retailer it within the fridge till you’re prepared to make use of it.
Right here’s how I frost this carrot cake:
- Stage the highest of the underside layer. This step is elective, nevertheless it helps create a nice-looking layer cake. Use a big serrated knife to trim off the domed prime of one of many cake layers, making a flat floor. I really like snacking on the cake scraps. Chef’s deal with!
- Frost the underside layer and assemble the cake. Slather the leveled floor of the underside layer with cream cheese frosting. Place the highest layer on prime.
- Frost the highest layer and garnish. Slather the highest of the cake with extra frosting, and garnish it with walnuts or pecans, if desired.
I usually don’t frost the edges of the cake as a result of a) it’s simpler and b) I like seeing the carrot-y layers peek by means of. However if you wish to, be happy!
Finest Carrot Cake Recipe Suggestions
- Grate the carrots your self. I’m repeating this yet another time as a result of it’s essential! For the very best carrot cake, grate the carrots your self. Retailer-bought shredded carrots are too dry and hard to make use of on this recipe.
- Change up the mix-ins. Everybody has an opinion about what belongs in carrot cake. Be happy to adapt this recipe to make use of the add-ins you like! In case you’re not a fan of nuts, go forward and skip them. Need to add raisins? Fold 1/2 cup into the batter. Can’t have carrot cake with out pineapple? Use canned crushed pineapple as a substitute of the applesauce.
- Get forward. In case you don’t need to bake and frost this cake in the identical day, you are able to do the baking prematurely. Tightly wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and retailer them at room temperature for as much as 2 days earlier than frosting them, or freeze them for as much as 3 months. When you frost the cake, it retains properly for about 5 days within the fridge.
Extra Simple Baking Recipes
In case you love this recipe, strive certainly one of these scrumptious desserts subsequent:
Simple Carrot Cake Recipe
Serves 12 to 16
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon floor ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup gentle or darkish brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil, plus extra for the pans
- 4 giant eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups grated carrots, about 9 ounces
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, plus extra for garnish
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Stop your display screen from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch spherical cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
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In a big bowl, whisk collectively the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the eggs and whisk till properly mixed, then whisk within the applesauce and vanilla.
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Add the dry components to the moist components and blend till simply mixed. Fold within the carrots and pecans.
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Divide the batter evenly between the ready pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or till the tops spring again to the contact and a toothpick inserted comes out clear. Let cool within the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife across the edge of every cake, then invert onto a big plate or baking sheet. Switch to a cooling rack and permit to chill fully.
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Non-obligatory step: When the truffles are fully cool, use a big serrated knife to slice off the domed a part of one of many truffles to create a flat prime. Use this cake as the underside layer in a layer cake.
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Frost the flat floor with cream cheese frosting, then place the second cake layer on prime. Frost the highest and sides of the cake, if desired, with the remaining frosting. High with extra pecans, slice, and serve. (Alternatively, take pleasure in this recipe as two single-layer truffles.)