Last Updated on December 28, 2023
Today, we’re going to be looking at my favorite carrot cake recipe, and how to ensure you have the moistest, tastiest carrot cake. Carrot cake is, without a doubt, one of the most delicious desserts. And while it does need quite a few ingredients, it’s surprisingly easy to make! Carrot cake and rich, creamy frosting – is there really a better combination? Let’s take a look how to make carrot cake.
What Is Carrot Cake?
Carrot cake is exactly what it sounds like – a cake, that has carrots incorporated into the batter. Alongside carrots, there’s also usually nuts (such as pecans or walnuts), spices (such as cinnamon and ginger), and sometimes even raisins, running throughout the cake. It’s then usually topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s a warming and decadent dessert.
Ingredients in carrot cake
The ingredients for carrot cake will differ depending on which recipe you follow. But the recipe we’re using contains the following ingredients:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- sea salt
- ground cinnamon
- vegetable oil
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- carrots
- pecans
- raisins
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- heavy whipping cream
Nutritional information
If you’re wondering what the nutritional value is of carrot cake – look no further. Each slice of carrot cake (1/16) contains the following:
- Calories: 535
- Fat: 33.4g
- Cholesterol: 69g
- Sodium: 316mg
- Carbs: 56g
- Dietary Fiber: 2.4g
- Sugars: 40.5g
- Protein: 5.6g
Easy Carrot Cake Recipe
Now let’s move on to the reason you’re here – how to make this classic dessert! The recipe we’re following is inspired by Inspired Taste.
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
For the cake:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs (room temp)
- 3 cups of carrots (peeled and grated for best results)
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of raisins
For the frosting:
- 8oz of cream cheese (room temp)
- 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Recipe
Now all you need to do is:
Step 1: Prepare
Gather all of the ingredients you need. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare two cake pans by greasing them and lining with parchment paper. Once lined, grease over the top too.
Step 2: Make the batter
Grab a bowl and add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir until well mixed. In another bowl, add the brown and granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and oil. Add the eggs individually to this bowl, mixing well before adding the next. Now gradually add the dry ingredients to your egg mixture. Keep mixing until you have a smooth batter. Once smooth, add the nuts, grated carrot, and raisins.
Step 3: Bake
Evenly distribute the batter between your two cake pans. Place in the center of your preheated oven for around 35-45 minutes. When your cakes are ready, you should be able to place a skewer into the middle of the cake and come out clean. Remove from oven and leave in the pans for around 15 minutes to cool, then move onto cooling racks.
Step 4: Make the frosting
Grab a bowl and using a mixer, beat the cream cheese. You can stop when it becomes creamy. Once creamy, add the powdered sugar gradually. Your mixture should now be fluffy. Once fluffy, add the whipping cream. Beat for a further few minutes and your frosting is ready. Chill until ready to frost.
Step 5: Decorate
Once the cakes are cool, frost the top of one layer, and add the second on top. Using a spatula, frost the top of the cake. Sprinkle nuts on the top. Your cake is ready to slice and serve. Enjoy!
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you the ideal carrot cake recipe. Carrot cake is a classic dessert, and the perfect cake to present for any occasion. It’s warming, full of texture…and most importantly, full of flavor.
Do you know of any tips or tricks when it comes to making the perfect carrot cake? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!