This straightforward carrot cake recipe is one in every 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 perfect 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 believe this carrot cake recipe is nearly good! It has an exquisite 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 straightforward to make with primary substances. It’s easy sufficient to be an on a regular basis dessert (two 9-inch spherical cake pans are the one particular gear you’ll want!), but it surely’s completely celebration-worthy too. I’m making it for Jack’s birthday in a number of weeks, and it could be good for Easter or a festive spring brunch. I hope you like this recipe as a lot as we do!
Substances You’ll Want
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this straightforward carrot cake recipe:
- Carrots, after all! All the time grate the carrots your self as an alternative 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 big 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 wish to fold some nuts into the cake batter for crunch. I additionally sprinkle them over the frosted cake for a fairly garnish. Be happy to skip them in case you favor your carrot cake with out nuts!
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
Methods to Make Carrot Cake
Yow will discover the whole recipe with measurements on the backside of this publish, however for now, right here’s a step-by-step overview of the way it goes:
Begin by getting ready your pans. Evenly 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 substances in a medium bowl. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and whisk till effectively mixed, then combine within the applesauce and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredient to the moist substances and blend till simply mixed. Watch out to not overmix! It could actually 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 muffins cool within the pans for 10 minutes earlier than turning them out and transferring them to a wire rack to chill utterly.
Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake
Whereas this cake is beautiful plain, it’s particularly scrumptious with cream cheese frosting on prime.
My cream cheese frosting recipe is straightforward 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 non-obligatory, but it surely 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 at liberty!
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 perfect 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! For those who’re not a fan of nuts, go forward and skip them. Wish to add raisins? Fold 1/2 cup into the batter. Can’t have carrot cake with out pineapple? Use canned crushed pineapple as an alternative of the applesauce.
- Get forward. For those who don’t wish 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 effectively for about 5 days within the fridge.
Extra Straightforward Baking Recipes
For those who love this recipe, attempt one in every of these scrumptious desserts subsequent:
Straightforward 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
Forestall 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 effectively mixed, then whisk within the applesauce and vanilla.
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Add the dry substances to the moist substances 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 utterly.
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Non-compulsory step: When the muffins are utterly cool, use a big serrated knife to slice off the domed a part of one of many muffins 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. Prime with extra pecans, slice, and serve. (Alternatively, take pleasure in this recipe as two single-layer muffins.)