The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe
My recipe for the most moist and spiced carrot cake you’ll ever have…
Usually when I go into a cafe for a little caffeine pick-me-up, I always look out for carrot cake. It never fails to surprise me when I see carrot cake behind the counter in a cafe in Paris or Antwerp. Europeans go crazy for carrot cake—especially the French. You haven’t lived if you haven’t heard a Parisian say “oh bah oui j’adore le carrot cake” with a thick French accent. Normally when I spot the cream cheese frosting, I can’t resist buying a piece. How does one see carrot cake and not start salivating? Is it really just me? The combination of the spices and the tangy cream cheese frosting is perfection.
I know not all carrot cakes are created equal. That being said: hate the recipe, not the carrot cake. Luckily for you, I’ve posted the recipe for the BEST carrot cake down below.
Enjoy!
Moist Spiced Carrot Cake (with cream cheese frosting)
The recipe
Time: 2.5 hours
Servings: 10 slices
Cuisine: American
Keywords: carrot cake, spiced carrot cake, cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda (aka bicarbonate alimentaire)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger or fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (180mL) canola or vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
1½ cup (300g) light brown sugar
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ cup (125g) unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups (300g) grated carrots, lightly packed
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Butter two 9-inch cake rounds and line with parchment paper. You can also use cooking spray.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger (if not using fresh ginger), nutmeg, cardamom, ground black pepper, and salt until combined. Set aside.
If you are using fresh ginger, omit the ground ginger and set the fresh ginger aside for later.
Step 3
If using fresh ginger or crushed pineapple, these ingredients need to be blended. The pineapple should be blended until liquified and the ginger should be either blended or grated. If using both fresh ginger and crushed pineapple, you can blend these together in a blender or food processor.
Step 4
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce or crushed pineapple, vanilla extract, and fresh ginger (if using) until fully combined. Add the grated carrots into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Step 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or rubber spatula until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
Step 6
Pour the cake batter evenly between both prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F (175 C) for 20-30 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool in the pans for a minimum 20 minutes. Once the cakes have cooled, remove from the pans and return the cakes to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Step 7
Let cool and wrap with plastic wrap to retain moisture. Enjoy!
Click here for the recipe for cream cheese frosting.
Notes
Use parchment paper to prevent sticking to pan.
You can store extra cream cheese frosting in the freezer for up to 3 months.
TRUST the black pepper—it adds the perfect amount of warmth to the cake.
