Carrot Cake

I love carrot cakes!! Partially because they’re a vehicle for that amazing, slightly tangy cream cheese frosting but also because they’re super-moist, perfectly sweet and min always have toasted pecans or walnuts thrown in for some extra crunch.

My pet peeve is oily carrot cake so my recipe uses apple sauce and sour cream to add more moisture while using less oil.

Pro Tips for Making this Recipe

• The nuts can be omitted. I love the crunch and depth of flavor they add though. Walnuts can be subbed in for the pecans.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• You can make this recipe as cupcakes or as a sheet cake.
• Cake strips will help you get a nice flat top after baking so you can stack the layers without trimming.
• If your frosting is runny then add more powdered sugar a cup at a time until the consistency thickens up. You can also chill the frosting slightly so it firms up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I add to carrot cake?

• 1 cup rasins
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• Sub the pecans for walnuts
• Sub the apple sauce for chopped pineapple.

How should I store this cake?

It’s not best to leave your cake out since the frosting is full of dairy so store in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temp before serving for best results. You’ll probably have some left over cream cheese frosting after smoothing so use that to cover the exposed interior after cutting the cake. This will keep you cake nice and moist throughout.

How long does carrot cake keep for?

This carrot cake will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the unfrosted layers for up to two months if wrapped well.

Can I make this as a sheet cake? 

Yes! This recipe makes a delicious 1/4 sheet cake, which is 9×13 inches.  Bake at 350F for about 55 minutes or until the center is springy to the touch.

How to Make Carrot Cake

1. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices to a sifter and sift onto a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl add the oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, apple sauce and vanilla extract then set aside.

3. Shred the carrots. I like to use a finer grater but the large one works too. Using a scale is the best way to measure but a bound of carrots is about 5 medium sized carrots. If you add a bit over or under the cake will still be fine.

4. Chop your toasted pecans then toss them with a tablespoon of the dry mixture.  Ii you haven’t toasted nuts before it’s super-easy! Just spread out on a baking tray and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until they smell nice and fragrant. Remove from oven after 5 minutes and move around on the baking sheet so they toast evenly.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until JUST combined. Add the shredded carrot and toasted pecans to the batter then fold in so they’re distributed evenly. Divide the batter equally into three eight inch pans that have been buttered and floured with parchment paper rounds on the bottom. Bake at 35oF for about 40 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.

6. Add the room temperature butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer mixer with a paddle attachment and beat together until smooth. Scrape the bowl down and mix a few seconds more.

7. Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl (this step is optional especially if your powdered sugar is totally lump-free). Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese/butter mixture a cup at a time while the mixer is running on low. Scrape the bowl down and mix until smooth. You can add more sugar to taste, as well as to stiffen the consistency if needed.

8. Pipe the frosting onto the first cooled cake layer, add the second layer, pipe more buttercream and add the third and smooth any bulging buttercream on the side. At this point I like to pop my cake into the refrigerator to chill so the frosting sets a bit and stabilizes. 20-30 minutes should be fine. You can wrap the cake in plastic to protect it from errant smells and prevent moisture loss but it’s not a must.

9. Cover the cake in a layer of cream cheese frosting. Smooth the side with a bench scraper then the top with an offset spatula. Smooth the side once more then use the offset spatula to pul in the corner and create a clean edge.

10. Press chopped toasted pecans onto the side of the cake. I like covering the bottom third but you can cover the entire side.

11. For the carrots you’ll want to mix up a small batch of buttercream. I just added 1/2 cup of salted butter to a bowl then add 2-3 cups of sifted powdered sugar a cup at a time until you have a thick paste-like frosting. Divide into two batches, a slightly smaller one for the carrot tops, which you will color green and a larger batch that will be colored orange. Use a large round tip like a 1A to pipe the carrots. I piped mine at different heights to they looked a bit more organic but you could make them all uniform instead.

12. Use a grass tip (233) to pipe the green tops. Touch the carrot with your piping tip as you begin squeezing so the two buttercreams adhere to each other.

Enjoy!

If you’ve tried this carrot cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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5 from 48 votes

Carrot Cake

A moist and delicious carrot cake covered in cream cheese frosting and topped with easy buttercream carrots!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 350kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 ⅔ cups white sugar 335g
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300g
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1g
• ½ tsp all-spice 1g
• ½ tsp cardamom 1g
• 1/4 tsp ginger 500mg
• 2 tsp baking powder 8g
• 2 tsp baking soda 12g
• 1 ½ tsp salt 8g, kosher
• ¾ cup sour cream 180mL
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil 180ml
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla 10mL
• 1 cup chopped walnuts 125g, toasted!
• 1 lb carrots 450g, shredded
• ½ cup apple sauce 120 mL

For the Frosting:

• 16 oz cream cheese 452g, room temp
• 12 oz butter 340g, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla 5mL
• 1 3/4 lb confectioners sugar 800g

For the Buttercream

• 1/2 cup salted butter 113g, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar 350g, sifted
• food coloring orange and green

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8" cake pans. Add a parchment round to the bottom of each pan using a dob of butter to hold in place then butter and flour the sides.
• Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream, apple sauce, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients and whisk together.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix together until just combined and scrape the bowl down.
• Toss the toasted pecans with 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture.
• Fold the carrots and walnuts into the batter.
• Divide the batter evenly into a three buttered 8" pans lined with parchment paper. 
• Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow the layers to cool completely in the pan. Set over a wire rack.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Cream the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix in the vanilla until well combined, scrape the bowl down then add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.

For the Buttercream:

• Use a spatula to fold in the powdered sugar into the butter a cup at a time until it forms a thick pipable paste. Divide into two batches, a larger one will be colored orange the smaller will be green.

For the Assembly

• Pipe a thick layer of the cream cheese frosting onto the first cooled layer, add the second then repeat the process until the cake is built. Because cream cheese frosting tends to be soft it's best to chill the cake for a bit so it stabilizes.
• Cover the cake in cream cheese frosting then smooth the side and top.
• Press the chopped toasted pecans onto the lower part of the side.
• Us a 1a (large round tip)tip to pipe the carrots on top then use a grass tip to pipe the green tops.

Video

Notes

• The nuts can be omitted. I love the crunch and depth of flavor they add though. Walnuts can be subbed in for the pecans.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• You can make this recipe as cupcakes or as a sheet cake.
• Cake strips will help you get a nice flat top after baking so you can stack the layers without trimming. 
• If your frosting is runny then add more powdered sugar a cup at a time until the consistency thickens up. You can also chill the frosting slightly so it firms up. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 347mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 3500IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2.5mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

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