Carrot Cake
MAKES
One 9 inch / 23 cm two layer cake
TAKES
Prep time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Carrot cake holds a special place in my heart because it was the flavor of the primary cake at my parents’ wedding. This is my simple, classic, no special occasion needed version. Just two layers of perfectly moist, lightly spiced cake - filled and frosted with light, fluffy cream cheese whipped cream frosting. A staple in my house - a favorite that disappears so incredibly quickly. Hope you like it, too. 😊
INGREDIENTS
Carrot Cake
240 g / 2 cups all purpose flour
12 g / 2 teaspoons baking soda
3 g / 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 g / ½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
< 1 g / ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
130 g / ⅔ cup neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or safflower)
56 g / 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
212 g / 1 packed cup light brown sugar
118 g / ⅔ cup granulated sugar
5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
170 g / 3 large eggs, at room temperature
180 g / 1 ¾ cups grated peeled carrots
70 g / ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
80 g / ⅔ cup finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting
226 g / 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
150 g / ¾ cup granulated sugar
470 g / 2 cups cold heavy cream
5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch ground cinnamon
Layer Cake Love:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C with an oven rack set in the center of the oven. Lightly grease two 9 inch / 23 cm cake pans with nonstick spray, and line the bases with parchment paper.
2. Make the carrot cake: in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg to combine.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking each until well incorporated before adding the next.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl in 2-3 additions, whisking at first, just until smoothly incorporated. As the mixture thickens, it can be helpful to switch to a silicone spatula to make sure it’s uniformly combined.
5. Add the carrots, coconut, and pecans, and fold into the cake batter until uniformly combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans, and spread into a fairly thin, even layer.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cakes pull slightly away from the edges of the pan, and the cakes spring back gently when touched in the center, 35-40 minutes.
7. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a small offset spatula around the outer edges, and invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. (Note: If you have one, I like to place a second cooling rack on top of the parchment-bottomed cake, and invert the cakes again - so the top of the cake is facing up, and the parchment side is directly touching the cooling rack. This cake is very moist, and I hate getting some “stuck” in the cooling rack itself. Alternatively, you can lightly spray the cooling rack with nonstick spray to prevent this from happening.) When the cake has cooled completely, gently peel away the parchment paper.
8. Make the cream cheese whipped cream frosting: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream cheese until lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape the base and sides of the bowl well.
9. Add the granulated sugar and whip until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape the base and sides of the bowl well. With the mixer running on medium low speed, add the cream in a slow, steady stream. Once it’s all added, stop the mixer and scrape the base and sides of the bowl well. Then, keep whipping on medium-high speed until the mixture thickens and reaches soft peaks. Stop the mixer, and give the bowl a good scrape once more - then continue to whip on medium speed until the mixture reaches medium peaks. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and mix to combine.
10. Frost the cake: place about 15 g / 1 tablespoon of frosting on the center of a large plate or platter. Place one of the cake layers on top, pressing down gently to adhere to the plate.
11. Add about 295 mL / 1 ¼ cup of frosting on top of the cake layer, and spread into an even layer. Add the second layer of cake on top, pressing down gently to adhere. Add about 295 mL / 1 ¼ cup of frosting on top of the cake, and spread into an even layer.
12. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the outside of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before slicing. Once sliced, press plastic or beeswax wrap directly to the surface of the cut sides. Store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
