Why You’ll Love This
The whipped cream frosting makes the cake. It’s light and airy, unlike a thick, oversweet cream cheese frosting. It marries so well with this incredibly moist and utterly delicious carrot cake. The cake part is what I’m after most of the time, but the icing recipe for this cake will win you over. It’s an easy carrot cake recipe from scratch! No boxed mixes, just real ingredients. And you can absolutely tell the difference. I will never use another carrot cake recipe again. This is the one! Carrot cake is a favorite in our house, but some of our other favorites are Italian Love cake, strawberry shortcake, chocolate sheet cake, and sour cream pound cake.
Key Ingredients
Ingredients for a moist cake – Eggs, applesauce, and vegetable oil.Flavorings – Freshly grated carrots, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, ground ginger, and granulated sugar.
How to Make the Best Homemade Carrot Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 9″ round cake pans with parchment paper. Spray with baking spray or butter. Dust with flour and set aside. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in pecans and grated carrots. Divide the cake batter evenly into the 2 prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in the pans before removing to a wire cooling rack. This recipe bakes nice and level. I didn’t have to level the tops of the cake layers. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting Flip cakes upside down when frosting.
How to Make Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Chill a large bowl in the freezer to make the whipped cream cheese icing. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. A stand mixer comes in handy for this step. In another bowl, soften the cream cheese with a mixer, and add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Make sure the sugar has dissolved. Frost the cake with this fantastic icing and enjoy a slice of pure heaven! Enjoy the rave reviews from your family for the best carrot cake ever!
Tips
Use fresh carrots and grate them yourself for the best flavor.Make sure to get the carrots finely grated to allow for proper cooking with the cake.I use the food processor to grate the carrots and chop them up smaller. It’s faster than hand grating, and you don’t end up with long carrot strings in the cake. Or use the small holes on a hand grater.Always measure the flour properly. Aerate, spoon, and swoop level.Use room-temperature eggs.You can toast the pecans if desired.
Variations
You can add raisins (about 1/2 cup) or crushed pineapple if desired. Be sure to drain the pineapple well before stirring in the batter.Stir in some shredded coconut.Use chopped walnuts or pecans.This carrot cake from scratch recipe can also be baked in a 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 35-35 minutes.Or turn this recipe into carrot cake cupcakes! Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Other Delicious Cakes
Recipe inspired by ChewOutLoud
