Description
Delightful carrot cake with cream cheese frosting brings warmth from classic American kitchens. Moist spices and tangy frosting create a comforting dessert you’ll want to share with loved ones.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups (300 g / 10.5 oz) lightly packed grated carrots
- 1 ½ cups (300 g / 10.5 oz) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (250 g / 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- ¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl oz) canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup (125 g / 4.4 oz) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp ground ginger
- 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 (8 oz / 226 g) package brick-style cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (115 g / 4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (240 g / 8.5 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat: Configure oven to 350°F (180°C) and outfit two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper liners.
- Dry Mixture: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl until uniformly combined.
- Wet Integration: Vigorously blend vegetable oil, eggs, dark brown sugar, white sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract until thoroughly homogenized.
- Carrot Incorporation: Fold grated carrots into the liquid mixture, ensuring even distribution throughout the batter.
- Batter Composition: Merge wet and dry ingredients gently, stirring until just combined to preserve the cake’s delicate texture, avoiding overmixing.
- Pan Preparation: Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing surfaces with a spatula for uniform baking.
- Baking Process: Roast in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, verifying doneness by inserting a toothpick that emerges clean.
- Cooling Stage: Rest cakes in pans for 20-25 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete temperature equalization.
- Frosting Creation: Whip room-temperature cream cheese and butter until achieving a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Frosting Finalization: Gradually mix powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the butter blend, creating a silky, spreadable frosting.
- Assembly: Level cake layers if necessary, then lavishly apply cream cheese frosting between and across the entire cake surface.
- Garnish: Optionally adorn with chopped pecans around sides or sprinkled atop for enhanced texture and visual sophistication.
Notes
- Grate Carrots Fresh: Use freshly grated carrots for maximum moisture and flavor, avoiding pre-shredded packaged carrots that can dry out the cake.
- Prevent Overmixing: Blend wet and dry ingredients just until combined to maintain a tender, soft cake texture and prevent tough, dense results.
- Temperature Matters: Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature, especially eggs and cream cheese, to create smoother batter and more consistent frosting.
- Check Cake Doneness: Use the toothpick test carefully; a few moist crumbs are okay, but wet batter means the cake needs more baking time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 405
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg