Easy Carrot Cake
Looking for an extremely moist and easy Carrot Cake recipe? This simple classic carrot cake is lightly spiced, has moist soft crumb with a slight crunch from the walnuts, and covered in tangy cream cheese frosting.
Servings: 16
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 325 g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg more to taste
- 1 cup buttermilk 246 g
- 1 cup vegetable oil 210 g
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed, 288 g
- 2 ½ cup shredded carrot 340 g
- ½ cup chopped walnuts 60 g
- More walnuts for topping if desired
- Melted butter for cake pans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature, 454 g
- 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature, 227 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar 150 g, add more to your taste
Instructions
- Make the cake batter: Start by toasting the walnuts in a frying pan over medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes until fragrant. Let it cool and chop into smaller pieces.
- Scrub the carrots clean, trim the end and peel the skin off. Cut them into smaller pieces and shred them in a food processor or shred them with a box grater. This should yield 2 ½ cups.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush melted butter on two 8” or 9” round cake pans. Line the bottom of the cake pan with a piece of round parchment paper and brush the parchment paper with butter as well. Set aside.
- Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add brown sugar and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add shredded carrot and mix until evenly distributed.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg into a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and fold until incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Divide batter evenly between two cake pans (about 800 g of batter per pan). Bake for 35-37 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 - 15 minutes. When you can touch the cake pans, use a butter knife to loosen the sides, flip the pan over to remove the cake from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper, and allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before adding frosting.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until thoroughly mixed and creamy.
- Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Add powdered sugar and stir until incorporated, gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until fluffy.
- Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Put a few pieces of parchment paper underneath the cake to cover the cake stand or plate. This is to keep the frosting from smearing everywhere.
- Add about 1 cup of frosting on top of the first layer and even it out with an offset spatula. Add the second layer of cake on top.
- Frost the side and top of the cake with the rest of the frosting. Add chopped walnuts on top if desired. Carefully pull out the pieces of parchment paper underneath the cake.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set or until ready to serve.
Notes
- Vegetable oil, canola oil or olive oil will work in this recipe.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk, sour cream, yogurt or make homemade buttermilk by mixing regular milk with lemon juice or sour cream/yogurt.
- 4 medium carrots, about 1 lb total in weight, will yield enough shredded carrots for this recipe.
- This carrot cake will yield 12 very generous portions but can easily serve 16.
Nutrition
Serving: 153g | Calories: 547kcal
