Get ready to indulge in the most amazing carrot cake ever!
Picture this: a moist cake bursting with warm spices, topped with creamy cream cheese frosting, and adorned with adorable mini carrots for that perfect Easter vibe.
Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake:
- It’s made with all butter for a super tender cake with unbeatable flavor.
- Packed with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, this cake is bursting with deliciousness.
- The sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the moist cake, creating a mouthwatering combo.
- Speaking of moistness, this cake is incredibly moist, thanks to the finely shredded carrots and buttermilk. It practically melts in your mouth with each bite!
- And let’s not forget how cute it is! Those little carrots on top add the perfect touch of springtime charm.
Plus, it’s all homemade, so you know it’s made with love!
FAQs:
- Can I add mix-ins? Absolutely! Think walnuts, pecans, or raisins for extra texture and flavor. Just keep it to around ½ cup to maintain the cake’s consistency.
- Can it be made gluten-free? While I haven’t tried it, feel free to experiment with gluten-free flour and let me know how it turns out!
- Cupcakes or layer cake? Check out my carrot cake cupcakes or OG carrot cake recipe for those options!
Pro Tips:
- Measure your flour correctly to avoid a dense cake. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife, or better yet, use a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Grate your carrots finely using the small hole of a box grater for the best texture in your cake batter.
Troubleshooting cream cheese frosting:
- Whip the butter until pale and fluffy before adding other ingredients for the fluffiest frosting.
- Make sure your butter is the right temperature—about 30-40 minutes out of the fridge should do it.
- Cold cream cheese helps achieve the perfect consistency for your frosting.
- If it gets too warm while assembling the cake, chill it for 10-20 minutes and rewhip until fluffy.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 313 g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (140 g)
- 1 cup granulated white sugar 200 g
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar 110 g
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature (180 ml)
- 2 cups finely grated carrots at room temperature (220 g)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (224 g)
- 8 oz cream cheese cold (226 g)
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar 325 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Orange and green food coloring
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
For the Carrot Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 inch pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, mixing until smooth. Fold in grated carrots.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-54 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Whip butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and mix until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until light and fluffy.
- Divide frosting into two bowls and color one orange and the other green.
Assembling the Cake:
- Frost the cooled cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Pipe mini carrots onto the cake with orange frosting, adding green stems with the green frosting. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and serve!