Description
Moist and chock full of carrots, this delightful Carrot Cake recipe with cream cheese frosting offers a lightened-up version that doesn’t compromise on flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans – you can substitute nuts with shredded coconut or use 1/2 cup of each.
- 1/2 cup raisins or currants
- 3 cups of carrots, peeled, freshly grated (390 grams), using the small fine side of a box grater. See notes. Pre-grated carrots are too dry and will throw off the balance of the cake.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams), spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup oil (avocado is my preference)
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar *see notes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup crushed pineapple – or sub applesauce *see notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, fully softened (full-fat brick-style cream cheese for best results)
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup thick Greek yogurt, or sour cream (optional but gives the perfect tang and lightens the texture in the most luscious way)
See notes for garnishing suggestions
Instructions
- Prepare two- 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter or oil spray the pan and the parchment paper. See notes for baking in a 9 x 13 pan.
- Toast the nuts at 300°F for about 8 minutes on a sheet pan in the oven, let cool, and roughly chop.
- Plump the raisins by soaking them in 1/4 cup hot water. You can also soak them with a chai tea bag if you like. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes while you grate the carrots.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grate your carrots fresh using a box grater. See notes.
- Mix Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add pineapple (or applesauce), and vanilla. Drain the raisins and add them along with the roasted nuts and grated carrots. Mix to combine.
- Combine. Make well in the dry ingredients. Add the wet mixture and fold in until just mixed.
- Bake. Divide the cake batter into each of the prepared pans (3 cups or 754 grams each). Bake at 350F on the middle rack, for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick test should come out mostly clean. The center of the cake should bounce back when touched and the cake will have pulled away from pan. Internal temperature should read 200-205 F. Let cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, then refrigerate to make frosting application easier (20 minutes or up to 4 days).
- Make the Frosting. Note: If you want to cover the sides of the cake, make a double batch of frosting. Make sure the butter and cream cheese are fully at room temperature. In a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Add salt and sift in powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Cream in lemon juice and Greek yogurt. It should be ultra-creamy and lightly lofty.
- Assemble and frost Cake: Place one layer of cake on the serving plate. Frost the first layer, covering the top evenly with about 1/2-inch thickness of frosting, and come out to 1/2-inch of the edge of the cake. Place the top layer on and frost it the same way.
Notes
Sugar: We have already reduced the sugar. This cake is less sweet than typical carrot cakes. The raisins, pineapple, and frosting create a good balance. If you skip any of these, consider adding more sugar.
Applesauce: Pineapple gives this cake the zing it needs. If you prefer applesauce, I suggest you add a tablespoon of lemon juice or zest.
Shred carrots by hand using the small fine side of a box grater. This small shred enhances the cake texture and allows the natural sweetness of the carrots to blend better with the other ingredients; it ensures even baking and contributes to a moist, flavorful cake. If using a food processor, grate the carrots first, then switch to the chopper blade and pulse a few times to break up the large shreds.
For a one-layer 9×13 cake, bake in a buttered 9 x 13 pan at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F.
Prep ahead: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and wrapped tightly at room temperature overnight. The frosting can be made and refrigerated overnight. Before assembling, bring the frosting out to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes; mix if needed.
Storage: Store leftover cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 7 days.
Freeze: Frosted cake can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for 3 months.
Garnishing extras: Peel a carrot into flat strips and simmer in a simple sugar mixture (equal parts sugar and water) for about 10 minutes. Remove and mold into shapes- like spirals and little rosettes, and let cool on a plate. Candied nuts: toast a half cup of walnuts with a drizzle of maple syrup and bake for 8-10 minutes at 300°F on a baking sheet. Let cool. Chop some for garnish and leave some whole. Mint sprigs and toasted coconut flakes are pretty additions, too!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 349
- Sugar: 17.4 g
- Sodium: 216.1 mg
- Fat: 22.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.4 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 5.4 g
- Cholesterol: 29.7 mg