Best Ever Carrot Cake
User Reviews
5
Best Ever Carrot Cake
Description
The Best Ever Carrot Cake recipe blends all-purpose flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and complementary warm spices to create a flavorful base. Wet ingredients include eggs, oil, applesauce, and sugars which provide moisture and sweetness. The fine grated carrots distribute evenly throughout the batter, adding natural sweetness and texture. Chopped pecans offer an optional crunchy contrast.
After baking in prepared pans at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, the cakes are cooled thoroughly before frosting with cream cheese icing. The combination produces a classic carrot cake with a moist crumb and spiced flavor profile enhanced by the creamy, slightly tangy frosting. It suits celebrations or any occasion where a hearty dessert is desired.
The recipe can be adjusted to bake in different pan sizes with appropriate timing changes. Grating carrots finely ensures uniform texture and better integration into the batter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (283g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 4 egg
- 3/4 cup (175ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (130g) applesauce unsweetened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar (break up any clumps)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (348g) carrot finely grated
- 1 cup pecans optional, chopped
- 1 recipe cream cheese frosting HERE (use amounts listed in notes there for a 2 layer cake)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter two 9" round cake pans, line with parchment paper, butter parchment paper, dust parchment paper with flour, shake out excess.* Line pans with water soaked cake strips if you have them.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer blend together vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in grated carrots just to evenly distribute. Divide mixture evenly into 2 prepared cake pans.
- Bake in preheat oven for 33 - 38 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in cake pan, then run a knife around edges of cakes and invert into a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost cakes then finish with chopped pecans if using. Store cake in airtight container in refrigerator.
Notes
- The cake can be baked in a 9x13-inch pan with an increased bake time of 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- The recipe can be halved and baked in an 8x8-inch pan or a single 9-inch round pan with similar baking times.
- Use small holes on a box grater to finely grate the carrots for even texture.
- Nutrition estimates exclude optional pecans but include cream cheese frosting amounts as noted in the original recipe.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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