The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

5 from 3 votes

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe

The best carrot cake recipe that we've ever tried. Super moist delicious cakes perfectly infused with warm cozy spices and coated with tangy cream cheese frosting. It's not overly sweet, so easy to make, and also freezer-friendly!

Prep Time30

Cook Time22

Servings: people

Author: Bea & Marco

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg powder

Wet Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup oil
4 large eggs , room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 cups shredded carrot , around 2 large
1 apple , diced into small cubes

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter , room temperature
16 oz full-fat cream cheese , very cold, in small pieces
1 cup powdered sugar , sifted
2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC), without fan. Soak the cake strips for a minimum of 30 minutes before using. Butter and line the bottoms of two 9-inch pans. Squeeze most of the water from the cake strips and wrap them around the pans. Place the oven rack on to lower ⅔ rack.

Dry Ingredients

Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, and salt in a big bowl. Mix everything well with a spoon, and set aside.

Wet Ingredients

Add sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract into another bowl. Whisk until everything is well combined, using a hand whisk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix well. Add in grated carrot and chopped walnuts. Give it one last mix with a spatula until everything is well combined.

Bake

Divide the batter evenly into the two pans. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting them.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Whisk butter for 5 minutes on medium-high until fluffy, using a handheld whisk, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add in sifted powdered sugar and mix for another 5 minutes. Then, add in cream cheese, and lemon juice, and mix on low for 2-3 minutes just until everything is combined. Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk if you prefer it looser. Scrape the sides of the bowl now and then in this process for better mixing.

Assemble

Once the cakes are cold, spread some frosting on a serving plate, and place one cake on top. This will prevent it from sliding. Pipe ⅓ of the frosting on top, followed by another cake. Pipe more frosting on top, and the sides. Using an offset spatula, even out the sides and top.
Optional, mix some leftover frosting with orange and green food coloring, and pipe some cute carrots all over. Decorate with some chopped walnuts. Now you know how to make carrot cake at home, enjoy!

Notes

Use the spoon and level method. This prevents using excessive flour, making the cakes tough. We highly recommend using a kitchen scale as it's more precise.
Don't use pre-shredded carrots. They're dry and hard. Grate them fresh.
Use cake strips to avoid cake domes. The wet cake strips slow down the cooking around the edges of the cakes, making them cook at the same time as the centers. This avoids cake domes and having to cut them flat later, to achieve beautiful even looks.
Use a rotating pizza board when frosting. This helps to frost the cake easier, without needing to have a cake-decorating turntable.
How to make it in advance. Bake the cakes, cool, wrap them tightly with cling film, and chill in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze in an air-tight container for up to 6 months, and thaw in the fridge. Make the frosting up to 2 days before assembling, chill it in the fridge, and take it to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before using.

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