Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

How to make the best and easy carrot cake recipe ever with creamy cream cheese frosting. This frosted carrot cake is very easy to make with freshly shredded carrots, a delicious spicy taste and flavor, and the crunchy texture of pecans.

Jump to:

• Why use carrots in cake
• Fluffy cream cheese frosting
• Ingredient and substitutions
• How to make the best Carrot Cake recipe
• Storage and Freeze
• Easy carrot cake recipe with cream cheese icing
• Storage:

If you don't like carrot cake it's simply because you haven't tried the right recipe yet! And that's exactly what I did before I made this delicious homemade carrot cake recipe made in cake layers with is fluffy cream cheese frosting.

The carrot cake is a very popular cake all over the world, although it is made with an ingredient that we are more used to cook in savory recipes, carrots.

But in baking, we are not too surprised to see this kind of mixture of vegetables with spices, like pumpkin or even zucchini because this combination gives an incredible tasty cake like in carrot cakes.

The grated carrots bring a lot of flavor to sweet recipes, it is loaded with water which gives a very moist texture in addition to adding natural sugar and it goes perfectly with fall spices like cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg.

And who says carrot cake also means its deliciously sweet and salty frosting made with cream cheese that balances the taste of warm spices in this super easy carrot cake recipe.

The carrot cake is a delicious dessert with spices that changes from the usual cakes, it is made in fall or when Easter comes, and it can be declined in other ways as my carrot cake cupcakes or carrot bread it is still delicious.

Why use carrots in cake

So for all those who think otherwise, I assure you that the carrot cake has absolutely no taste of carrots. And it is certainly due has a rather neutral taste and the extra spices that the cooked carrot has a rather soft and sweet taste.

Like the banana in the banana bread, the shredded carrots has a wonderful action in the carrot cake, it brings at the same time of a soft and extra moist carrot cake texture, sweetness and natural sugar.

Fluffy cream cheese frosting

Carrot cake recipes are usually served with a creamy frosting made with butter and cream cheese to which heavy cream and powdered sugar are also added or in a lighter version like this whipped cream cheese frosting.

Cream chees is usually used to make cheesecake or as a glaze for cinnamon rolls. It has a slightly sweet and salty taste and goes well with all spice recipes.

This frosting is a bit creamier, like butter cream but it can easily be replaced by a lighter frosting like mascarpone whipped cream or even a classic vanilla buttercream.

Ingredient and substitutions

Carrot cake :

• Carrot: Use about 4 medium freshly grated carrots to make this recipe, you can use more or less depending on your preference.
• Flour: All-purpose flour or even you can also use cake flour. Measure quantities with a scale and not with measuring cups for more precision.
• Raising agent A combination of baking soda and baking powder is used to ensure good fluffiness.
• Spices: The most used are ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Eggs: Use eggs at room temperature
• Vegetable oil: A neutral oil such as rapeseed oil, grape seed oil or walnut oil.
• Sugar: A combination of flavored brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Salt and vanilla extract: Balances the flavors and perfumes the cake.
• Pecans: Add chopped pecans to add crunch to the texture of the cake, you can mix them with almonds and walnut kernels. 

Cream cheese frosting :

• Cream cheese: use Philadelphia cream cheese spread full fat and cold.
• Butter: unsalted and softened butter.
• Powdered sugar: or icing sugar (confectioners sugar) to avoid the feeling of sugar grains in the mouth
• Cornstarch: as an option, it can be used to firm up the texture a little.
• Vanilla extract: essential for flavoring, pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds.

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

How to make the best Carrot Cake recipe

1 - Carrot cake batter

1. Preheat the oven to 347°F / 175°C and line 2 8-inch / 20 cm round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Peel and finely grate the carrots and set aside. (you can also use packaged pre-shredded carrots)
3. Mix together in a bowl the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and shredded carrots.
5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and liquid.
6. Finish by adding the crushed pecans.
7. Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan.
8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and puffed up check with a toothpick inserted into the center and it should come out clean.
9. Allow cakes to completely cool to room temperature.

Tip: Bake the cake in 2 batches using 2 pans of the same diameter.

2 - Cream cheese icing

1. Place the chopped and softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
2. Add cream cheese and continue beating on medium speed for another 2 minutes until thick and smooth.
3. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix again for 2 minutes.
4. Keep your frosting in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Tip: use room temperature ingredients, especially for the butter, to ensure a smooth, homogenous texture.

3 - Frosted cake

1. Place the first layer of carrot cake on a serving plate and cover it with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting.
2. Cover with a second layer of cake and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
3. Decorate the tops of the carrot cake with crushed pecans.

Tip: Let the cake chill in the refrigerator for about 1 houre before serving.

Storage and Freeze

In the fridge: If your carrot cake is covered with frosting, then you must keep it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 4-5 days. Otherwise, the cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container to keep the carrot cake moist.

In the freezer: You can freeze carrot cake for up to 3 months in the freezer, cut into pieces or covered with plastic wrap. To defrost, let it return to the refrigerator slowly.

More spiced cake recipes

• Gingerbread layer cake
• Chai tea latte with spices
• Gingerbread village layer cake
• Carrot bread with cream cheese icing
• Banana walnut cake

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