The BEST Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
4.94 out of 5 stars
(46)
Ingredients
10 servings
- 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp each ground allspice, nutmeg and ginger
- 2 cups (240g) finely grated carrots (from about 3 medium carrots)
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- ⅔ cup (160ml) sunflower oil
- ½ cup (120ml) plain full fat or low fat yogurt
- ⅓ cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (50g) coarsely chopped walnuts
- ½ cup (70g) soaked and drained raisins (optional)
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, (softened)
- 1 ⅔ cups (200g) powdered icing sugar, (sifted and divided)
- 1 block (250g) cream cheese, (softened)
- 1 ½ tsp (7ml) lemon juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper and lightly grease the sides. I actually don't grease the sides of my pans because I like the cake to climb up for taller layers, but that's up to you if you're worried about sticking.
Step 2
Make the cake batter. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
Step 3
Combine grated carrots, both sugars and eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric handheld mixer on medium speed until combined. Add oil, yogurt and maple syrup and beat until evenly blended.
Step 4
Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Do not over-mix. Add walnuts and raisins (if you choose to use them) and fold them in until evenly distributed.
Step 5
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 28-32 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
Step 6
Make the frosting. Beat soft butter with 1 cup (120g) of icing sugar for about 2 minutes until very smooth and fluffy. Cut the block of soft cream cheese into cubes and beat it in one tablespoon at a time until full incorporated, thick, fluffy and pale in color. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla until combined, and then beat in remaining ⅔ cup (80g) of icing sugar until the frosting is smooth, fluffy and very creamy.
Step 7
Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate. Use an offset spatula to spread about 1 cup of frosting over top leaving about 1/2-inch border. Place the second layer on top and press it down gently to stick to the bottom layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the whole cake. Chill for 15 minutes. Dollop the remaining frosting on top of the cake and spread it out from the top working your way out to the edges and then down the sides again if you wish, or use the offset spatula to make swooshes on top (I like the naked style to show the sides of the cake through the frosting).
Step 8
Decorate. To make little carrots, reserve about 3 tablespoons of frosting. Place 2 tbsp into a small bowl and add a little orange food coloring. Place 1 tbsp into another small bowl and stir in a little green food coloring. Use a zip-top plastic bag to pipe little carrots on top (watch the recipe video below for a demo). Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans and enjoy!
Step 9
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