Description
This Carrot Cake has a super moist crumb, a delicious brown sugar cinnamon spice and a velvety smooth cream cheese frosting. This cake is simple to make and only takes a few minutes to mix the batter. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line with a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract, until combined.
3. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk just until combined.
4. Fold in the carrots, pecans and raisins, just until combined.
5. Evenly divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 22-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to fully cool in cake pan.
7. Make the frosting. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly and gradually add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Beat until light and fluffy.
8. Assemble Cake. If cooled cakes are domed, use a serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the top of the cake, to create a flat surface. You can discard this layer or eat as is. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Evenly spread frosting over top of cake. I like to use an offset cake spatula for this. Place the 2nd cake layer on top. Evenly spread frosting over top of cake. Place 3rd cake layer on top. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes before slicing. This helps the icing set up and makes it easier to cut.
9. Cover leftover cake tightly, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Shred your own carrots using a box grater or even a food processor. The store-bought shredded carrots tend to be dry and too thick. This will affect the texture of the cake.
I recommend chilling the carrot cake for 15 minutes before slicing. This will allow the frosting to set up and yield neater slices.
When scooping the flour, use a spoon to scoop the flour out of your container and into your measuring cup. Scooping the flour directly with the measuring cup will result in flour that is compacted into the cup, and thus you will have too much flour in your recipe. This will result in a dry cake.
This cake can be wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 22
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American