Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
User Reviews
5
Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Description
The carrot cake batter incorporates a blend of all-purpose flour, baking soda or powder, and warm spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves. Carrots are processed with eggs, sugar, oil, and salt for even distribution, then mixed with dry ingredients, raisins, coconut, and pecans. The batter is baked in round pans until a toothpick comes out clean, yielding moist layers with tender texture and bursts of fruity and nutty notes.
The accompanying cream cheese frosting blends full-fat cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar into a creamy topping with a slight tang that complements the sweet cake. The frosting is spread between and over the cooled cake layers for a rich finish.
This carrot cake stores well refrigerated and can be reheated gently before serving. It can also be prepared a day ahead or frozen for longer storage. Frosting leftovers should be kept chilled and stirred before reuse to retain smoothness.
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake:
- 270 g all-purpose flour
- 98 g raisins
- 260 g carrot peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 30 g coconut flakes unsweetened
- 9.1 g baking soda or 1-½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves ground
- 73 g pecans finely chopped, or walnuts
- 4 large egg
- 370 g granulated sugar
- 210 ml avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pure
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 oz full-fat cream cheese
- 16 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- 16 oz confectioners' sugar
- salt pinch
Instructions
To make the Carrot Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and coat three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly coat the paper with spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or blender, process the carrots, salt, eggs, sugar, and oil for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the wet mixture to a large bowl. Using a hand whisk, mix ½ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the raisins, coconut, and pecans to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined, don't overmix!
- Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake the Carrot Cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick, comes out clean. Transfer the carrot cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, salt, and vanilla. Mix at low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar, mixing at low speed to combine. Once the confectioners' sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To Assemble the Carrot Cake:
- When the carrot cakes are completely cool, place one carrot cake, doomed-side down, on a cake stand. Spread ¾ cup of the frosting evenly over top.
- Place the second carrot cake, and spread the top with another ¾ cup of the frosting. Repeat with the third layer.
- Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, and smooth out completely or swirl decoratively if desired. Sprinkle with the finely ground pecans. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store the fully cooled cake covered in the refrigerator for up to four days; let it sit at room temperature 30–60 minutes before serving.
- Reheat individual slices briefly in the microwave or the whole cake covered in a 350°F oven to warm gently without drying.
- Leftover cream cheese frosting can be refrigerated up to a week and stirred well before reuse.
- The cake can be made a day in advance and stored with cling film over pans; also suitable for freezing up to three months when wrapped well.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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