Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 300 g, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 5 g
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 g
- 2/3 teaspoon fine salt 4 g
- 3/4 cup canola oil 180 ml / about 165 g
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 150 g
- 125 g granulated sugar about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
- 3 large eggs 150 g without shells
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract about 8 g
- 350 g finely grated carrots prepared weight, about 3 cups; do not squeeze dry
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 80 g
Frosting
- 12 oz full-fat brick-style cream cheese 340 g, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g, softened
- 320 g powdered sugar about 2 3/4 cups, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract about 5 g
- 1 g fine salt a scant 1/4 teaspoon
Equipment
- 2 8-inch round cake pans at least 2 inches deep
- 1 box grater
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 electric hand mixer
- 2 wire cooling racks
Instructions
Bake
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bases and sides of two 8-inch round pans, at least 2 inches deep, with parchment. Finely grate the carrots and chop the walnuts.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt together in a bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, both sugars, eggs and vanilla until smooth, breaking up brown-sugar clumps. Fold in the dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in the grated carrots and walnuts, scraping the bottom of the bowl.
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30–38 minutes, checking both pans at 30 minutes. The centers should be set and a cake tester should come out without wet batter; a few moist crumbs are fine.
- Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges, turn out onto racks and remove parchment. Cool completely, allowing about 2 hours in total or longer if needed. Do not frost warm layers.
Frost
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually on low speed, then vanilla and salt. Mix only until creamy and spreadable. If soft from a warm kitchen, refrigerate briefly until it holds a soft ridge.
- Place one cooled layer on a serving plate and spread with about one-third of the frosting. Add the second layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides in a simple coat. Refrigerate the covered cake and use within 3 days. Let individual slices soften briefly before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (1/12 batch)Calories: 649kcalCarbohydrates: 74.4gProtein: 7.3gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 12.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14.5gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 415mgPotassium: 228mgFiber: 2.2gSugar: 51.5gCalcium: 121mgIron: 1.9mg
Video
Notes
Video credit: Preppy Kitchen’s “BEST Carrot Cake Recipe” demonstrates carrot cake and cream cheese frosting. This card uses its own two-layer formula and walnuts rather than the video’s pecans. Follow this card’s measurements, pan size and doneness cues.
Nutrition is an ingredient-based estimate per one-twelfth of the frosted cake from USDA SR Legacy entries: 300 g flour, 350 g carrots, 165 g canola oil, 150 g brown sugar, 125 g white sugar, 150 g eggs, 8 g baking powder, 3 g baking soda, 5 g cinnamon, 1 g ginger, 5 g total salt, 13 g total vanilla, 80 g walnuts, 340 g cream cheese, 113 g butter and 320 g powdered sugar. It includes all frosting and no decoration. Actual portions and brands vary. Cooking-sensitive vitamins and unavailable trans-fat values are not estimated.
Keep the cream-cheese-frosted cake refrigerated at 40°F or below. Limit time at room temperature to 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. For longer preparation, wrap fully cooled unfrosted layers and freeze for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw wrapped in the refrigerator before frosting. Contains wheat, eggs, milk and walnuts.
