Carrot Cake is a traditional dessert for Easter Sunday. However, it’s a favorite cake for any time of year, believe me! This recipe delivers an ultra moist cake, with the perfect balance of warm spices, a little pineapple (nuts are optional) and a delectable cream cheese frosting. Of all the cakes I’ve baked, this recipe now ranks really high as a personal favorite! I promise, if you make this cake, you will not need any other recipe. This is truly the best Carrot Cake Recipe. Hands down.
I can’t remember the last time I baked a boxed cake mix. Ever since I got the hang of baking “from scratch” cakes, I’ve never looked back! I’ve mentioned, numerous times, that my favorite cake is “White Cake“. Lemon Cake comes in as a close ranking favorite. Well, Carrot Cake, where have you been all of my life?! Sure, I’ve eaten Carrot Cake from bakeries. But, for some reason, I’ve never made my own.
For Easter Sunday, I usually lean towards baking a Coconut Cake, as that’s been my tradition. This year, to celebrate being together as a family for the first time in a year, I decided to try baking a Carrot Cake. I had no idea how popular this cake is! My family, and their guests, devoured this cake. It was super moist– a winner! The cream cheese frosting was the crowning glory, for sure. Let me show you how to bake it:
You need carrots, of course. Grate four large carrots, by hand. Oil, eggs, spices, leavener, pineapple, raisins and nuts. In my case, I left out walnuts, because some people don’t like them (though, we do).
Butter is missing, and that’s not a mistake. Once the batter was made, fold in golden raisins, rather than traditional brown raisins. If you hate raisins, leave them out! Last, but not least, add the shredded carrots and pineapple.
Prepare two 8″ cake pans with my beloved “Baker’s Joy” spray, and use 8″ pre-cut parchment paper (always my insurance that cakes will never stick). The batter looked lumpy, and I was hoping that wasn’t going to be a bad thing.
I have these ancient cake strips (newer ones now come with a velcro closure, rather than pins) and I swear by them. My cakes bake without that dreaded “dome”. I was really impressed with how high the cake rose! The cakes smelled divine. Yes, they slipped right out of the pan, when I placed them on a cooling rack.
Whip up the Cream Cheese frosting and it was time to finish the cake.
I’m glad I didn’t give in to the temptation of using three baking pans. The two layers were plenty high! I finally upgraded my baking tools with a rotating cake stand. I love it!
I like to use an off-set spatula and then I “spin” the table to make this cool swirling of frosting on top. Easy! The hardest part, for me, was putting the cake into the refrigerator until the next day. I was so anxious to try this cake!
We enjoy a simple, but delicious, barbecue of Grilled Steakhouse Tips and Chicken, along with some side dishes. It didn’t take long to have an audience as I sliced into the cake.
TASTING NOTES: Oh, wow! The cake was not dry, in the least bit! The spices were perfect, with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of ginger. The frosting was incredibly good, and a very traditional one for carrot cake. I didn’t miss the nuts at all. We got twelve slices, and (sadly) I sent some home with my family. Truly, this Carrot Cake is incredibly good! I have once slice, frozen, for a friend who loves carrot cake. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say.
The Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (No Kidding)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil 250g
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 352g
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup raisins I used Golden Raisins
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)
- 2 1/4 cups finely grated carrots about 3-4 large carrots
- 1/2 cup pineapple drained from a can or freshly diced; (I used canned crushed pineapple)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick or 113g
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioners sugar 512g
- 1-2 Tablespoons half and half or whole milk (to thin frosting, if necessary)
Instructions
- Preheatt the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare two 8-inch round baking pans, generously greased. (I prefer Baker's Joy spray and pre-cut parchment paper.)
- Using a mixer, beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in mixer until it is a light yellow, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly and gently add in the dry ingredients. Mix until JUST combined. (Can also mix by hand!)
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the raisins, nuts (if using), carrots, and pineapple.
- Divide the batter equally between the pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. A few crumbs are what you want for a MOIST cake!
- Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Place room temperature butter, cream cheese, and vanilla into mixer and blend for 1-2 minutes on medium until fully incorporated.
- Add powder sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is light and creamy. Whip cream cheese frosting for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.NOTE: If the frosting seems too thick, add little bit of milk or light cream until it's to your desired thickness.
- Frost the cake. Keep refrigerated and bring to room temperature to serve, about an hour before.
Notes
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