Carrot Cake Recipe | Life, Love and Sugar

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This Carrot Cake Recipe yields a splendidly moist, tender cake loaded with tasty mix-ins you could simply customise to make it your personal. Made with do-it-yourself carrot puree and shredded carrots, and topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect carrot cake you’ll ever have.

The Finest Carrot Cake Recipe

I’ve been testing and tasting carrot cake recipes for years and I’m not kidding after I say that that is the perfect carrot cake I’ve ever had. The cake layers themselves are extremely moist and loaded with heat spices, actual carrot puree (that is the perfect half), shredded carrots, and a pleasant melee of mix-ins (coconut, pineapple, nuts, and raisins) that may be simply custom-made to suit your style preferences. Three layers of this superb carrot cake are stacked, stuffed, and frosted with probably the most extremely wealthy, velvety cream cheese frosting you may think about making for the proper mixture of flavors and textures.

Why You’ll Love This Layered Carrot Cake

This actually is the perfect carrot cake you’ll ever make (or style) and I don’t say that calmly. Right here’s what makes it so particular.

• The proper mixture of flavors. The richness of butter and brown sugar, the refined sweetness of the carrot puree, the proper mix of spices, and only a trace of pineapple and coconut unite to make this carrot cake the tastiest I’ve ever skilled. High it off with a wealthy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting and also you’ll be questioning why you ever gave one other dessert the time of day.
• A texture journey. The slight chew of grated carrots and coconut flakes and the crunch of pecans give the proper quantity of character to this splendidly moist, tender cake.
• Tried and true. There are such a lot of methods to do carrot cake however I took the guesswork out of it for you. After testing seemingly numerous recipes, I lastly discovered the proper mixture of components and strategies.
• Customizable. A wonderful thing about making a carrot cake from scratch is you could management what you determine to place into it. I used pineapple, coconut, pecans, and raisins however be happy to experiment with different mix-ins to get the carrot cake of your dream.

What You’ll Want

Right here’s what you’ll must make this carrot cake recipe and a few particulars on key components. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card under for actual measurements.

Carrot Cake

• Uncooked carrots – The carrots are used each for grated carrot and to steam and puree the remaining carrots, for additional superior taste and moisture. I’ve been requested earlier than about utilizing carrot child meals instead of the carrot puree and I lastly examined it. For these in search of a little bit of a shortcut, there’s excellent news. It really works!
• All-purpose flour – Make sure to measure your flour precisely, so that you don’t find yourself with dry cupcakes. I all the time suggest a meals scale, however the spoon and stage methodology can be an choice.
• Baking powder and baking soda – I used each for optimum rise and texture.
• Salt and spices – Floor cinnamon, floor ginger, floor nutmeg, floor cloves and salt all add nice taste.
• Unsalted butter – The butter needs to be softened at room temperature. In any other case, it gained’t cream correctly with the oil, sugars, and vanilla to make your batter and, consequently, your cake gentle and fluffy.
• Vegetable oil – I used vegetable oil and butter on this recipe. The butter provides richness and the vegetable oil contributes great moisture.
• Gentle brown sugar and granulated white sugar – I went with a mixture of granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar not solely provides moisture to the cake but additionally deepens the flavour of the cake to make it much more scrumptious.
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs and Egg white – The eggs needs to be at room temperature. They may combine extra easily and simply into the batter. They need to even be giant in measurement, not medium or additional giant.
• Drained crushed pineapple – Make sure the pineapple is VERY nicely drained in order to stop extra moisture from altering the consistency of the cake. The pineapple is an optionally available mix-in.
• Sweetened coconut flakes – The coconut flakes are additionally optionally available. Be happy to exchange them with a distinct mix-in or depart them out altogether.
• Toasted pecans or walnuts – The toasted nuts are optionally available. You can use a distinct nut in case you’d like.
• Raisins – The raisins are additionally optionally available. Be happy to attempt a distinct dried fruit or depart them out utterly.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature. In any other case, it won’t combine easily with the butter and you can see your self with a lumpy frosting.
• Butter – Soften the butter at room temperature earlier than utilizing. In any other case, it gained’t combine easily with the cream cheese and your frosting will end up lumpy.
• Powdered sugar – For an awesome frosting and piping consistency, I like to recommend utilizing the quantity listed within the recipe. Nonetheless, you may scale back the quantity if’d you prefer to and simply unfold it on.
• Vanilla extract
• Pecans

How To Make Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tie in your apron and seize your mixing bowls. It’s time to make the perfect carrot cake ever. Right here’s a fast overview of methods to do it. For extra detailed directions, scroll to the recipe card under.

Make the cake layers

• Grate the carrots. Peel the carrots, then grate them till you’ve got 3 1/2 cups Cowl and refrigerate.
• Make the carrot puree. Chop the remaining carrot and steam them for 10-Quarter-hour. Switch the steamed carrots to a meals processor and course of till clean.

• Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F, line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles, and grease the perimeters.
• Mix the dry components. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• Cream. Beat collectively the butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla extract till gentle in coloration and fluffy.
• Add the eggs. Combine within the eggs one by one adopted by the egg white.

• Put all of it collectively. Combine half of the dry components into the batter adopted by the carrot puree. Combine within the remaining dry components.
• Add the mix-ins. Stir within the grated carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans, and/or raisins.

• Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 29-32 minutes.
• Cool. Enable the desserts to chill of their pans for about 10 minutes earlier than transferring them to a wire rack to chill utterly.

Frosting and meeting

• Make the frosting. Combine collectively the cream cheese and butter. Combine in half of the powdered sugar adopted by vanilla extract. Combine within the remaining powdered sugar.
• Assemble. Minimize the domes from the tops of the desserts and place the primary cake on a serving plate. Unfold 1 cup of frosting excessive after which add the second cake layer and unfold one other cup of frosting excessive. Stack the ultimate cake layer on prime.

• Frost. Frost the surface of the cake.
• Enhance. Use a 9-inch offset spatula to create the spiral sample on prime of the cake and press the pecans into the perimeters of the cake. Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells across the outer fringe of the cake.

Ideas for Success

Take your carrot cake from good to nice with these important suggestions and methods.

• Grate your personal carrots. Grate the carrots with a field grater or a meals processor. It solely takes a bit of additional time and can produce a a lot tastier outcome (and texture) than pre-grated carrots.
• Belief me on the carrot puree. One of the vital distinctive issues this carrot cake comprises is carrot puree. You can exchange it with milk in case you like and simply use grated carrots, but it surely genuinely provides the BEST taste and moisture to this cake so I extremely recommend going the additional mile.
• Drain the crushed pineapple. And drain it nicely. In any other case, extra moisture will wind up within the cake which may have an effect on baking time, texture, and extra.
• Don’t skimp on the creaming time. When beating collectively the butter, oil, sugars, and vanilla, achieve this till the combination has lightened in coloration and change into gentle and fluffy. This is a sign that loads of air has been included into the batter, which can assist provide you with a light-weight, fluffy cake.
• Don’t over-mix the batter. When including the dry components to the batter, combine simply till every thing is included. No extra. Over-mixing could cause the glutens within the flour to overdevelop, supplying you with a tricky, dense cake.
• Scrape the perimeters of the bowl. As you add components and blend them in (each for the batter and the frosting), scrape down the perimeters of the bowl intermittently with a rubber spatula, incorporating any stray components into the combination.
• Cool. Give the baked cake layers loads of time to chill earlier than stacking, filling, and frosting. If they’re heat, they’ll soften the frosting proper off the cake.
• Frost with confidence. Seeking to impress with a wonderfully frosted cake? Discuss with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake and also you’ll be frosting like a professional very quickly.

How To Retailer Leftover Carrot Cake

• Fridge. Seal the cake in an hermetic cake provider. In the event you don’t have one, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. I recommend utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic away from any decorations. Alternatively, slice the cake and prepare the slices in an hermetic container. Retailer it within the fridge for as much as 4-5 days.
• Freezer. Enable the cake to agency up within the freezer for a few hours earlier than wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Already sliced it? Prepare the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Retailer the cake within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Enable it to thaw within the fridge earlier than serving.

Observe that this cake is finest loved at room temperature, so permit it to sit down out on the counter for two hours or so earlier than indulging.

Extra Layer Cake Recipes To Strive

The world of layer desserts is seemingly infinite. Decide a frosting, decide a cake, and stack them collectively. I’ve labored arduous over time to search out the perfect combos of desserts and frostings. Listed here are a few of my favorites.

Watch How you can Make it

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Recipe

The Finest Carrot Cake Recipe

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  Creator: Lindsay
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  Prep Time: 2 hours half-hour
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  Cook dinner Time: 47 minutes
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  Whole Time: 3 hours 17 minutes
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  Yield: 12-14
• 
  Class: Dessert
• 
  Technique: Oven
• 
  Delicacies: American

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Description

This Carrot Cake Recipe yields a splendidly moist, tender cake loaded with tasty mix-ins you could simply customise to make it your personal. Made with do-it-yourself carrot puree and shredded carrots, and topped with luscious cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect carrot cake you’ll ever have.

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Components

Carrot Cake

• 2 1/3 lbs (1,060g) uncooked carrots
• 2 1/2 cups (325g) all function flour (measured correctly)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp floor cinnamon
• 1 tsp floor ginger
• 1/2 tsp floor nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp floor cloves
• 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (225g) packed gentle brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (104g) granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 giant eggs
• 1 giant egg white
• 1/2 cup (120g) drained crushed pineapple, optionally available*
• 1 1/4 cup (91g) sweetened coconut flakes, optionally available
• 3/4 cup (80g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, optionally available
• 1/2 cup (75g) raisins, optionally available

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 16 oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (172g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (165g) chopped pecans

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Directions

Make the cake layers

1. Peel the carrots, then grate them simply till you’ve got 3 1/2 cups (350g) of grated carrots. Cowl the grated carrot and set within the fridge.
2. Chop the remaining uncooked carrots into items sufficiently small to enter a meals processor or blender. Put chopped carrots in a steamer basket (or a colander, in case you don’t have a steamer basket) set over a pot of boiling water. Cowl and steam the carrots till very tender, about 10-Quarter-hour.
3. Put the nice and cozy carrots right into a meals processor or blender and puree (don’t add the water used to steam the carrots, JUST the carrots). The puree will likely be thick. It’s best to find yourself with about 1 3/4 cups (420ml) of carrot puree. Put aside to chill whilst you make the cake batter.
4. Put together three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the perimeters. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
5. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
6. Add the butter, oil, sugars and vanilla extract to and huge mixer bowl and beat collectively till gentle in coloration and fluffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time, however don’t over combine both.
7. Add the eggs one by one, mixing till principally mixed after every, then add the egg white. Scrape down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted to make sure all components are nicely included.
8. Add half of the dry components to the batter and blend till principally mixed.
9. Add the carrot puree (it may be heat or chilly) and blend till nicely mixed.
10. Add the remaining dry components and blend till mixed. Don’t over combine the batter.
11. Stir within the grated carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans and raisins (if utilizing all of them). Don’t over combine.
12. Divide the batter evenly between the desserts pans and bake for 29-32 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out clear.
13. Take away the desserts from the oven and permit to chill for about 10 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill utterly.

Frosting and meeting

1. To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a big mixer bowl and beat till nicely mixed and clean.
2. Add about half of the powdered sugar and blend till nicely mixed and clean.
3. Add the vanilla extract and blend till nicely mixed.
4. Add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till nicely mixed and clean. Add roughly powdered sugar, as desired for consistency functions.
5. To place the cake collectively, use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the highest of the desserts in order that they’re flat, if wanted. These desserts don’t have a big dome, however I like to ensure they’re utterly flat.
6. Place the primary cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake spherical.
7. Unfold about 1 cup of frosting evenly on prime of the cake.
8. Add the second layer of cake and one other cup of frosting.
9. High the cake with the remaining layer and frost the surface of the cake. Discuss with my tutorial for frosting a clean cake, if wanted.
10. Use a 9 inch offset spatula to create the spiral sample on prime of the cake. Place the tip of spatula within the heart of the cake and slowly flip the cake in circles, dragging the spatula by the frosting and transferring outwards with every accomplished flip till you attain the outer fringe of the cake.
11. Press the pecans into the perimeters of the cake.
12. Use the remaining frosting to pipe shells across the outer fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847.
13. Refrigerate cake till able to serve. Set cake out for about 2 hours earlier than serving. Retailer cake in an air tight container. Cake is finest if eaten inside 3-4 days.

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Notes

In the event you’d choose to go away out the carrot puree and simply use grated carrots, exchange the carrot puree with 1 1/4 cups of milk. You’ll want to extend the baking time by about 3-5 minutes.

You need to use carrot child meals instead of the carrot puree, in case you choose and wish to save a while.

To bake in two 9 inch cake layers, bake for 38-42 minutes. This cake works nice for cupcakes too. You will discover my carrot cake cupcakes right here.

You’ll want a 12 oz can of crushed pineapple.

Diet

• Serving Measurement: 1 slice
• Energy: 879
• Sugar: 102.8 g
• Sodium: 372.9 mg
• Fats: 39.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 129.2 g
• Protein: 9 g
• Ldl cholesterol: 74.8 mg