Description
Moist, spiced carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Loaded with freshly grated carrots, warm spices, and topped with the creamiest frosting.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (250g) All-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240ml) Vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) Brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup (100g) Granulated sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 3 cups (about 4 large) Grated carrots
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
- ¼ tsp Ground cloves
- 2 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cup, chopped Toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Prep the Dry Ingredients (5 Minutes) — Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a large bowl. Whisking blends the leaveners and spices evenly — lumps of baking soda cause bitter spots in the cake. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients (5 Minutes) — In another large bowl, whisk oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined. The mixture should look glossy and slightly thickened. Don’t worry about over-mixing at this stage — there’s no flour yet, so gluten isn’t a concern.
- Combine and Fold (3 Minutes) — Pour dry ingredients into wet and fold with a spatula until just combined — stop when the last streak of flour disappears. Over-mixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough instead of tender. Fold in grated carrots and toasted walnuts. The batter will be thick and heavy — that’s correct.
- Bake (30–35 Minutes) — Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Don’t open the oven door during the first 25 minutes — the sudden temperature drop can cause the cake to sink. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely (at least 1 hour).
- Make the Frosting (10 Minutes) — Beat cold cream cheese and cold butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth — about 2 minutes. Cold ingredients are critical — room temperature cream cheese makes runny frosting. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating on low after each addition. Add vanilla, then beat on medium-high for 1 minute until thick, fluffy, and spreadable. If too thin, refrigerate 15 minutes.
- Assemble and Frost — Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Spread about 1 cup of frosting on top — evenly, edge to edge. Place the second layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat (very thin layer of frosting over the entire cake) and refrigerate 15 minutes to set. Then apply the final thick layer of frosting. Decorate with extra walnuts, carrot curls, or a cinnamon dusting.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 40g
- Sodium: 310mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g