Carrots are kind of a do-it-all veggie. You can eat them raw, cut into strips in a lunchbox or shredded in a salad. You can toss them into a pot of soup or stew, or serve them alongside a simple meal like meatloaf. You can even dress them up to be a standout side dish on their own, such as my Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots.
But perhaps the most amazing feature of this multi-talented vegetable is that it can also make dessert. And not just any dessert, but a truly rich, moist, fabulous cake.
There are lots of different recipes for carrot cake out there, with varying amounts of carrots, oil, and sugar. But I feel confident in calling this one The Best Carrot Cake Recipe. With applesauce and crushed pineapple stirred into the batter, along with a whopping three cups of grated carrots, it’s extra moist and flavorful. It’s got just the right amount of spice, and a half-cup of chopped pecans in the mix keep the texture interesting. And it’s topped with that classic cream-cheese icing that makes a good carrot cake complete.
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe…proof that carrots really are good for everything.
How many carrots does it take to make three cups of shredded carrots?
About four medium carrots should do the trick.
Can I use pre-shredded carrots from the store?
Nope, those “matchstick” carrots aren’t finely shredded enough to blend into the batter. Use whole carrots and shred them with your cheese grater. If you have a food processor with a shredding tool, you can use that, but be careful; sometimes it shreds the carrots too fine, and you end up with something more like carrot mush.
What size pans should I use for this cake?
I used two 9-inch pans to make two thick layers. You could also use smaller pans and make three thinner layers. Or you can make 18 to 24 cupcakes with the same amount of batter.
I know cream cheese icing is traditional, but I can’t eat it because of lactose problems. Is there a way to serve this cake without it?
To get the tanginess of cream cheese without the dairy, try a lemon glaze. Mix a cup of powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to turn it into a slurry, then drizzle it over the top of the cake. A coconut buttercream icing, made with coconut oil or margarine instead of butter, could also work well.
How do I store this carrot cake?
Wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. You can also wrap the unfrosted cake layers in plastic wrap and foil and store them in the freezer for up to two months.
How to make The Best Carrot Cake
Ingredients you will need:
eggs vegetable oil apple sauce brown sugar white sugar vanilla extract can of crushed pineapple all-purpose flour baking soda baking powder salt ground cinnamon nutmeg grated carrots chopped pecans
Frosting
butter cream cheese confectioners’ sugar vanilla extract chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, white sugar and 3 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once well combined, stir in grated carrots pineapple and pecans. Pour into prepared pans .Bake in the preheated oven for 30 – 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Now let’s make the frosting! In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Place one round cake on platter and add frosting to center of cake. Top with second cake round and frost completely. Add chopped pecans around bottom edge of cake and a ring around the outer edge of cake. TOOLS USED FOR THE BEST CARROT CAKE RECIPE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Baking Pans: These are the baking pans used for this recipe.
Measuring Cups/Spoon: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have passed clearly engraved marking, and you can quickly identify the cup scale according to the color of the handle.
Mixing Bowls:These are the perfect mixing bowls for any cake!
Hand mixer: This mixer has 5 speeds. Yo can mix ingredients for a variety of recipes from slowly stirring in chunky ingredients, like nuts or chocolate chips, at speed one to whipping egg whites or heavy cream at speed five.
Print The Best Carrot Cake Recipe There are lots of different recipes for carrot cake out there. But I feel confident in calling this one The Best Carrot Cake Recipe. Course Dessert Cuisine cake, Easter Keyword The Best Carrot Cake Recipe Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes cooling 20 minutes Servings 12 Calories 663kcal Ingredients 4 eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup apple sauce 1 cups brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple drained and most of the liquid squeezed out. 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3 cups grated carrots using cheese grater 1/2 cup chopped pecans Frosting 1/2 cup butter softened 8 ounces cream cheese softened 3.5 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 extra chopped pecans for the edge and top edge of cake about 1 cup Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2, 9 inch cake pans. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, white sugar and 3 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Once well combined, stir in grated carrots, pineapple and pecans. Pour into prepared pans .Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Place one round cake on platter and add frosting to center of cake. Top with second cake round and frost completely. Add chopped pecans around bottom edge of cake and a ring around the outer edge of cake. Video Nutrition Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin A: 5784IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg
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