The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 313 g
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter 140 g, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar 200 g
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 110 g
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk 178 ml, at room temperature
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots 220 g, at room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter 336 g, softened
- 12 oz. cream cheese 340 g, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 cups powdered sugar 780 g
- Orange and green food coloring optional
- Chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
For the Carrot Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, mixing until smooth.
- Fold in shredded carrots.
- Divide batter among prepared cake pans and bake for 36-41 minutes.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Whip butter until pale and fluffy, then add cream cheese and mix until combined.
- Sift in powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
- Divide frosting and tint with food coloring if desired.
Assembling the Cake:
- Level cake layers, then crumb coat and chill for 30 minutes.
- Apply final layer of frosting, chilling in between coats if needed.
- Pipe carrots and stems onto cake with colored frosting.
- Decorate with chopped walnuts and additional frosting swirls.
- Serve and enjoy!