Perfect Carrot Cake Recipe
This carrot cake recipe is the BEST I've ever tasted. It has the perfect balance of sweetness with a hint of spice. The cake is super moist and the velvet textured cream cheese frosting takes this cake over the top. I always receive requests to make this cake for family functions. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts ((1 cup for cake, 1/2 cup for garnish))
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (for garnish)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (light)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 1/2 cups carrots (grated (5 large carrots))
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz full fat cream cheese (room temp)
- 3/4 cup butter (unsalted, softened)
- 5 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare three 9-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined and set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in your grated carrots and chopped walnuts and then evenly pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-24 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth. Then, add the confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time and the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until gone. Then, add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until smooth.
Nutrition
Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 3846IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3mg