Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This super easy, fluffy and moist homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting will become your new favourite recipe!
Finding a really good carrot cake recipe is hit or miss. They are either too dry, too much fruit, not enough flavour or overboard with spices. BUT this carrot cake recipe is one you will fall in love with! The perfect balance of flavour and spices PLUS the bonus of being super moist, airy and fluffy! Just what you want after waiting for what seems like an eternity to eat it!
Carrot Cake
You don’t need mad baking skills to make this cake and you certainly don’t need to be a chef of any kind (see below picture for terrible frosting and decorating example). If you’re like me and cannot frost or decorate a cake to save yourself, be completely comfortable in knowing that any type of decorating you do will be looked over when your family, friends or guests sink their teeth into a slice of this little piece of heaven. Especially when that perfect and creamy cream cheese frosting mixed through the flavours in this cake hits every taste bud.
What chocolate Easter eggs?
What makes this cake THE best carrot cake recipe?
Its texture. The texture in this cake is unbelievable. Yes, it’s fluffy and light as mentioned above, but its moist texture is unforgettable.
Three main ingredients help create that:
- Vegetable oil (or canola oil can be used)
- Brown sugar
- Fruit puree: think crushed pineapple or applesauce. We chose the pineapple option after trying it with applesauce and found blending crushed pineapple for a couple of seconds in a magic bullet or blender yielded the best results. You can also leave the fruit out and substitute with melted butter, however, you cannot taste the fruit in this at all.
With Easter looming over us, you now have the perfect cake to serve to your guests! Not a fan of carrot cake? Try this Fudgy Chocolate Cake, or this Hot Fudge Chocolate Pudding Cake!
Soooo fluffyyyy!!!!
How To Make Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This super easy Carrot Cake recipe with cream cheese frosting will become your new favourite recipe! Fluffy and moist, a homemade carrot cake recipe you will fall in love with!
Carrot Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups (295 g) all-purpose/plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (110 g) crushed pineapple (or unsweetened apple sauce)
- 1 cup (200 g) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) grated carrots ((from about 2-3 large carrots))
- 1 cup (100 g) crushed pecans or walnuts, (divided (optional))
- 1/2 cup (60 g) sultanas or raisins ((optional))
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (250 g) cream cheese, (softened to room temperature)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, (softened to room temperature)
- 2 cups cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
FOR CAKE:
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Heat the oven to 350º F | 175°C. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the base of each pan with parchment paper.
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Combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a bowl until well combined.
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In a separate bowl whisk the oil, pineapple (or apple sauce), sugars and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the batter is smooth, while scraping the batter from the sides of the bowl. Fold in grated carrots, 3/4 cup of nuts and sultanas.
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Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean.
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Let cool in pans for 30 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks peeling the paper off the base of each cake as you go. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
FOR FROSTING:
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In large bowl, beat together softened cream cheese and butter, scraping down sides of bowl when needed, for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. (Use a hand mixer.)
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Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar, adding more sugar if needed until frosting is thick and spreadable.
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Frost cooled cake and top with remaining crushed nuts for decoration (optional).
Adapted from the amazing Deb of Smitten Kitchen.
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