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The BEST Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

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4.1 from 2 reviews

This moist and flavorful carrot cake features a perfect blend of warm spices and freshly grated carrots, topped with a fluffy, creamy cream cheese frosting. Made with a combination of brown and granulated sugars, sunflower oil, and yogurt for extra moistness, this cake is studded with chopped walnuts and optional raisins, making it a delicious classic dessert perfect for celebrations or any occasion.

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp each ground allspice, nutmeg, and ginger
  • 2 cups (240g) finely grated carrots (from about 3 medium carrots)
  • ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • ⅔ cup (160ml) sunflower oil
  • ½ cup (120ml) plain full fat or low fat yogurt
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup (50g) coarsely chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup (70g) soaked and drained raisins (optional)

Frosting Ingredients

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ⅔ cups (200g) powdered icing sugar, sifted and divided
  • 1 block (250g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 ½ tsp (7ml) lemon juice
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds and lightly grease the sides if desired. This helps with even baking and easy removal. Optionally, skip greasing sides to allow the cake to rise taller.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine grated carrots, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs. Beat with an electric handheld mixer on medium speed until just combined. Then add sunflower oil, yogurt, and maple syrup, continuing to beat until evenly blended.
  4. Combine Dry and Wet: Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix again on low until just combined. Avoid over-mixing to keep the cake tender. Fold in chopped walnuts and optional raisins evenly into the batter.
  5. Bake Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 28 to 32 minutes or until the cakes are golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, invert the cakes onto the rack, and cool completely.
  6. Make Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter with 1 cup (120g) of sifted icing sugar for about 2 minutes until very smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in softened cream cheese in cubes, one tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated, thick, and fluffy. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Finally, beat in the remaining ⅔ cup (80g) icing sugar until the frosting is smooth, creamy, and fluffy.
  7. Assemble Cake: Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Place the second cake layer on top and press gently to adhere. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake. Chill the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  8. Final Frosting & Decoration: Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake, smoothing with an offset spatula. Optionally, create decorative swooshes or leave a 'naked' style showing cake sides. To make decorative little carrots, reserve 3 tablespoons of frosting, tint 2 tablespoons with orange food coloring and 1 tablespoon with green food coloring. Use a piping bag to pipe carrot shapes on top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans, and enjoy!

Notes

  • Room temperature eggs help ensure even mixing and better cake texture.
  • Do not overmix the batter once flour is added to avoid a dense cake.
  • Soaking raisins plumps them up and prevents them from drying out in the cake; this step is optional.
  • Using full fat or low fat yogurt can affect moistness slightly but either works.
  • Chilling the crumb-coated cake before final frosting helps achieve a smooth finish.
  • You can substitute walnuts with pecans or omit nuts if preferred.
  • Adjust spice levels according to your taste, you can add more cinnamon or nutmeg for a stronger spice flavor.

Find it online: https://dishcooks.com/the-best-carrot-cake-with-fluffy-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/