Carrot Cake
Finely grated raw carrots folded straight into an oil-based batter, where they cook through in the oven rather than being pre-steamed, layered into a dense, moist cake and finished with real cream cheese frosting. Carrot cakes and puddings date to medieval Europe, when bakers used naturally sweet carrots as an affordable stand-in for expensive imported sugar; the dish resurged in America during WWII sugar rationing before its cream cheese frosting, a distinctly mid-20th-century American touch, made it the celebratory layer cake known today.
DessertVegetarian
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Tree Nut. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups finely grated carrots, about 4-5 medium carrots
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained, optional
- 225g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F, and grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and sugar until well combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Fold in the grated raw carrots, nuts, and pineapple if using.
- Divide the batter between the pans and bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes completely on a rack before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until fluffy.
- Frost between the layers, on top, and around the sides of the cooled cake.