How To Make The Best Carrot Cake

There are thousands of carrot block recipes out in that location, but ours probably takes the cake. We bet it'll be a star on your Easter dessert cafe.

Read on for tips on how to make this delectable classic cake. And if you're looking for more dessert inspiration, check out some more of our favorite layer cakes recipes.

How do I proceed my carrot block tender and moist?

Bakers are often concerned about getting dry, tough cakes, but here you lot don't take to worry, thanks to the apply of vegetable oil in the cake batter. Cakes fabricated with vegetable oil are noticeably moister than the boilerplate cake baked with butter. Why? Consider the ingredient on its own: vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature, while butter is solid. Vegetable oil also leads to a more tender cake, since it is 100% fatty, unlike butter, which contains nigh 15-20% water, which in plow aids in the formation of gluten and contributes to toughness. Long story short: this block uses vegetable oil, so you're set up for success.

Can I leave the nuts and raisins out?

Admittedly. This is your block, so feel free to customize it to your liking. Non a fan of pecans? Sub in walnuts or pistachios, or leave the nuts out entirely. Want to skip the raisins? Feel free to, or switch them out for dried cranberries, cherries, or any other dried fruit yous want. Just keep in mind that large chunks of dried fruit tend to sink to the lesser of cakes, and then if you desire to endeavour larger fruits like dried apricots or figs, you lot should chop them upwardly before adding to the cake batter.

Can I add together pineapple?

Many archetype carrot block recipes include pineapple. Our recipe does not—and we think it'southward delicious every bit it is.Simply it will work if you'd like to add together it in. For all-time results, utilize ½ cup canned pineapple and bleed it well before you add it to the concoction with the carrots, raisins, and pecans.

I don't want a layer cake. Can I bake this in a nine"x 13" pan?

You certain can. Merely keep in heed that, since the area of the 9"x 13" pan (117 inches) is greater than the sum of the area of the eight-inch rounds (50 + 50 = 100 inches), the cake will be slightly thinner than it would be in the viii" pans. And and then it volition bake more rapidly. We recommend checking afterward 35 minutes to meet if information technology'southward done: If a toothpick comes out clean, it's skillful to go.

What's the best frosting for a carrot cake?

Cream cheese frosting all the way. Our recipe is just a unproblematic mix of cream cheese, softened butter, and powdered sugar, with a little vanilla thrown in for flavoring. Super piece of cake and super delicious.

Tin can I make this cake ahead of fourth dimension?

Admittedly. While we'd recommend waiting to frost your block until the day you desire to consume it, you lot can bake the cake layers as far equally two-3 months in advance. Later on baking, let the cakes absurd completely before wrapping each layer separately in plastic wrap. If you're going to use them inside 5 days, you lot tin merely refrigerate them. If yous'd like to salve them longer, wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. The nighttime earlier you desire to frost, thaw them in the fridge and then stack and frost them while they're withal common cold.

We don't typically recommend making the frosting too far in accelerate. It's so simple to whip up that it'south easier to make it so use it right abroad than it is to brand it, shop it, and then rewhip information technology before using. If you lot practise demand to make it in accelerate, we recommend storing in the refrigerator and then letting information technology come to room temperature before frosting. You'll probably want to rewhip it as well, to help it warm up and make sure it'south light and fluffy earlier it goes on the cake.

If you love this cake as much as we do, don't forget to leave a annotate and rate it below!

Editor's Notation: The introduction to this recipe was updated on February 26, 2022, to include more information most the dish.

Cal/Serv: 932

Yields: 12 servings

Prep Time: 0 hours 10 mins

Total Fourth dimension: 1 60 minutes thirty mins

For the cake

Cooking spray

3 c.

all-purpose flour

ane 1/2 tsp.

kosher salt

2 tsp.

blistering soda

2 tsp.

cinnamon

2 c.

granulated sugar

1 one/ii c.

vegetable oil

large eggs

1 tsp.

pure vanilla excerpt

3 c.

grated carrots

ane c.

pecans, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish

one c.

rasisins

For the cream cheese frosting

one

(8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened

1/2 c.

(i stick) butter, softened

1 tsp.

pure vanilla extract

four c.

powdered carbohydrate

Preheat oven to 350° and grease 2 - eight" round cake pans with cooking spray. In a big bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
In another large bowl with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together sugar and oil until well combined. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each add-on, then add together vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in carrots, pecans, and raisins.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Broil until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes then capsize cakes onto a cooling rack and permit absurd completely.
Make frosting: In a large bowl with a mitt mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat again until smooth and a spreadable consistency.
Frost cake every bit desired and garnish with pecans.

Diet (per serving): 932 calories, 8 chiliad protein, 114 thousand carbohydrates, three g cobweb, 83 thou sugar, 52 yard fat, 12 g saturated fat, 616 mg sodium

Ethan Calabrese

Makinze Gore Food Editor Makinze is currently Food Editor for Delish, where she develops recipes, creates and hosts recipe videos and is our current blistering queen..