4shares
Share
Pin
Email
Sub

Carrot cake – a simple, fragrant, aromatic and super moist cake. Infused in velvety vanilla cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake became utterly delicious.

Most of us consider the carrot a basic ingredient in dishes such as appetizers, soups or main dishes. Along with the other veggies (onion, pepper, celery), the carrot gives taste and color to the food but rarely we have heard that carrot is used in desserts.

I have a habit, I plan the to-do recipes in my cooking notebook. And the one recipe waiting for a long time on my list, except the pumpkin ( I am not a big fan of this vegetable) tart or pie, was the Carrot cake. I haven’t baked pumpkin pie till now. Anyway, I have tried pumpkin as a dessert in combination with apples and a good amount of pecan nuts. And you know what – I like it. I advise you to try it too – Caramelized Pumpkin Apple Casserole – the best of the autumn harvest.

A wonderful thing that I can say about the Carrot cake that it is much easier to make than it seems! And it is truly tastier than it sounds!

How to grate carrots for Carrot cake?

Preparing this Carrot cake recipe doesn’t need any special skills. It is actually like baking a kind of regular pie. But there is an important tip that you should take into consideration in this recipe – the way you grate carrots.

First, I advise you not to use packaged pre-shredded carrots because you risk buying it already dehydrated. It will be hard and dry. But in Carrot cake we need it wet to moist the layers.

So, peel the carrots with a sharp knife (or a peeler) to remove the harder skin. Then, grate it over the side of the grater with the smallest holes. A good option can be to shred carrots using a blender. But I prefer the shredder, as it gives a better texture to layers.

Ingredients:

I suppose that most of the ingredients needed for the Carrot cake you most likely have in your kitchen, especially if you like to bake as I do. Most of them are very common (like baking powder, eggs, sugar) or can be substituted easily. For example, all-purpose flour can be replaced with whole wheat flour or any gluten-free flour (if you are following the gluten-free diet).

Nuts – even if they give an extra flavor to this cake, they are completely optional. You can go with any you love or have by your hand. If you have an intolerance to nuts you can easily omit them.

But there are some ingredients without which you will not get your perfect delicious Carrot cake. Here they are:

Carrot – the king of this cake. Choose fresh carrots as they are juicier and sweeter. Do not scale the carrot amount indicated in the recipe. Believe me, its taste is not detected in the cake but it has an important role in keeping the dough moist and fragrant.

Spices – cinnamon and cloves. These versatile spices develop a really rich flavor and bring spicy warmth to this cake that you are going to love.

Applesauce/pineapple sauce – I prefer to use crushed pineapple ( I crush canned pineapple with blender or food processor, making a kind of sauce). It helps to keep the cake nice and moist, without adding an excess of oil.

Brown sugar – those people who are common with baking knows that is an important ingredient that is not recommended to be substituted. Brown sugar provides a touch of deeper flavor and extra moisture.

How to make Carrot cake layers?

I have tried a few Carrot cakes recipes in the past and I was not satisfied with none of them. That is why after searching and testing I was delighted by the version of Carrot cake I present you today. Also, I think I found the perfect icing for this versatile cake.

Not to deviate from the process, I always prepare all the ingredients first. Note that the ingredient that you usually keep in the fridge should be at room temperature (eggs, carrots, cream cheese, butter). Grab about 3 carrots (medium to big size) and grate them on the small holes of a box grater. For this recipe, you will need 3 cups of grated carrot. Then set them aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour. Then add spices: 2 tsp of ground cinnamon and ½ tsp of ground cloves, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of baking soda. Mix them.

In a separate bowl, beat until just combined 3 eggs with 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar. You can use either an electric mixer (on medium speed) or a hand whisk. In a steady stream add 1 cup of coconut oil (I love the taste it gives to this cake). Beat for about 1 minute until foamy. Now, lower the mixer speed, and slowly add the flour mixture.

Once the flour is fully incorporated, comes the time to incorporate the star ingredient – the grated carrot. With a rubber spatula fold in 3 cups of grated carrots.

Because the dough was quite dense, I added 1 cup of crushed pineapple which slightly fluidizes the composition and balances the taste (the pineapple being sweet-sour). It is also the perfect time to add the last, optional, right ingredient, which comes as a pleasant surprise when you chew the cake: 1 cup of chopped walnuts (previously browned for a few minutes in an oil-free pan).

Divide the batter evenly between 2 previously greased and lined with parchment paper pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 350˚F (180˚C) for 25-30 minutes.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot cake?

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of unsalted butter, 12 oz of cream cheese, 1 ½ cups of icing sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Once combined, beat until you obtain smooth and fluffy cream.

How to Assemble the Best Carrot Cake:

After the cake layers passed the test of the toothbrushes, remove them from the oven. Before you set them aside to cool, turn them and removed the baking paper from the bottom. Layers need slow cooling and ventilation, so it will be better if you cool them on a kitchen grill to avoid condensation.

When layers cooled enough, place the first layer on the plate or cake stand. Spread evenly ½ of frosting. Add the second layer on top and repeat. Decorate the top of the cake with chopped walnuts. Refrigerate Carrot cake for at least 2-3 hours before serving. You can store the carrot cake in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, preferably covered.

My whole family got in love with this Delice Carrot cake! I hope you will love it too!