The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting sets the bar for all carrot cakes. The cake is incredibly moist from a generous amount of finely shredded fresh carrots and blanketed with a velvety frosting that completes the perfection. The Best Carrot Cake Ever!
This past weekend I surprised my husband for Father's Day with a Carrot Cake. I had made one just the week before for my son in law's birthday. Jim enjoyed it so much, I decided to make him one too.
Carrot Cake is often made around celebrations and holidays and rightful so, usually for Easter. It is such a rich and decadent cake that deserves all the compliments and praises.
I grew up eating a recipe that was simple and somewhat boring. It is so funny, I really thought it was the best. Until I started working with a recipe of my own.
My daughter put me onto a recipe that called for pineapple in the cake and a generous amount of cream cheese in the frosting. For me, this was the recipe I had been looking for.
When I made the cake for Jim this past weekend, I decided to tweak the recipe it a little more. I decided to leave out the nuts in the cake and add another cup of shredded carrots.
I increased the brown sugar in the cake and increased the vanilla to a tablespoon in the frosting. I also left out the ginger in the cake.
No one in my family likes raisins in the Carrot Cake but feel free to add them and pecans if you prefer.
I increased the brown sugar in the cake and increased the vanilla to a tablespoon in the frosting. I also left out the ginger in the cake.
No one in my family likes raisins in the Carrot Cake but feel free to add them and pecans if you prefer.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THE CARROT CAKE
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Three 9-inch cake pans
- Three 9-inch parchment cake pan liners
- Flour
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Crushed pineapple
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Fresh whole carrots
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Confectioner sugar
- Chopped pecans
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE
- Have all the ingredients at room temperature before preparing the cake.
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with lightly coating the pans with cooking spray such as Pam. Line the three cake pans with 9-inch round parchment paper liners; set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, beat together on low speed, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and pineapple together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a large sifter, sift flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Pull ends of parchment paper together and funnel flour mixer into the wet ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, but not too much.
- Fold the shredded carrots in batter until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake on the center oven rack until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry with barely any crumbs left on it. About 23-25 minutes.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling prepare the cream cheese frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until creamy smooth.
- After the cake is cooled completely, arrange the cake.
- Place the one layer on a cake plater. Scoop about 3/4 cup of the cream cheese frosting on the first layer. Spread evenly across the layer to the edge.
- Repeat with the other two layers frosting the sides after the final layer.
- Pour chopped pecans in the palm of one hand pressing and pulling the chopped pecans along the sides of the frosting while holding the cake plater with the other hand. I like to just add pecans to the sides of the cake, but feel free to add them to the top too.
- Place the frosted cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, approximately 30-40 minutes. Does not have to be refrigerated for leftovers.
This carrot cake can be made quickly and easily without any fancy equipment. I used my hand mixer to mix up the cake and frosting. I also used my box grater using the side with the fine blades.
Not only is this The Best Carrot Cake Ever, but it is also a cinch to make. There is no creaming butter for five minutes, separating eggs, or folding egg whites. Did I say quick and easy?
I hope you will get to make the cake soon.
xo
Kay
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The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: 12-14
prep time: 20 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 45 M
The cake is incredibly moist from a generous amount of finely shredded fresh carrots and blanketed with a velvety frosting that completes the perfection. The Best Carrot Cake Ever!
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups finely grated carrots
- FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 5-6 cups confectioner sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
instructions:
How to cook The Best Carrot Cake Ever with Ultra Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
- Have all the ingredients at room temperature before preparing the cake.
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with lightly coating the pans with cooking spray such as Pam. Line the three cake pans with 9-inch round parchment paper liners; set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, beat together on low speed, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and pineapple together in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a large sifter, sift flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Pull ends of parchment paper together and funnel flour mixer into the wet ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, but not too much.
- Fold the shredded carrots in batter until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake on the center oven rack until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry with barely any crumbs left on it. About 23-25 minutes.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling prepare the cream cheese frosting.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until creamy smooth. Add 5 cups of confectioner sugar. Beat until creamy smooth, adding 1/2 cup more of confectioner sugar at a time.
- After the cake is cooled completely, arrange the cake.
- Place the one layer on a cake plater. Scoop about 3/4 cup of the cream cheese frosting on the first layer. Spread evenly across the layer to the edge.
- Repeat with the other two layers frosting the sides after the final layer.
- Pour chopped pecans in the palm of one hand pressing and pulling the chopped pecans along the sides of the frosting while holding the cake plater with the other hand. I like to just add pecans to the sides of the cake, but feel free to add them to the top too.
- Place the frosted cake in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, approximately 30-40 minutes. Does not have to be refrigerated for leftovers.
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