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Carrot Cake Recipe
One of my favorite root vegetables is carrot.
I love carrot in my soups, drinks (carrot juice), so it’s no surprise that I also love carrot cake.
Even though the idea of adding carrots to a cake is rather unusual, but carrot cake is so delicious!
This carrot cake recipe is from Life is Great. The cake is topped with a rich and decadent maple cream cheese frosting.
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How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 397 calories per serving.
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Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 18 oz. (510 g) can pineapple slices
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 3 cups grated peeled carrots
- 2 inches (5cm) fresh old ginger (finely grated)
- 1 cups walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 packages cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C /gas mark 4).
For cupcakes:
- Line 24 cupcake molds (2 12-standard muffin tins) with liners, or butter and flour them.
For layered cakes:
- Butter two 9-inch-diameter (23cm) or three 8-inch-diameter (20cm) cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment, butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.
- If using walnuts, lightly roast them on a baking tray or a frying pan, about 4-5 minutes. Leave to cool before processing them finely.
- Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger in medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Place the pineapple slices in a blender and add some of the juices from the can. Discard excess liquid. Puree until smooth and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars, pineapple puree and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the vanilla, carrots and fresh ginger. Add in the walnuts and raisins, if using them.
For cupcakes:
- Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.
For layered cakes:
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 30 minutes each for 8-inch (20cm) cakes or about 40 minutes each for 9-inch cakes; or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack. Peel off parchment; cool cake completely before icing.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat all the ingredients on medium speed until fluffy. Chill the frosting for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it has set up enough to spread smoothly and hold its shape.
For cupcakes:
- Place the maple cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice and pipe onto cooled cupcakes accordingly.
For layered cakes:
- To assemble a layered cake, with an offset spatula, frost the top of one cake and place the other cake on top. Repeat for a three-layered cake. Frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting, chill the cake for about 30-45 minutes. Frost the cake completely to cover and decorate with swirls on the top. Chill cake for at least 30 minutes or till frosting is set. Bring to room temperature before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Hi. I read through the comments below and found out that you use matcha powder and caramelise nuts to decorate the cake. May i know how you make that moon shape thing and jt didnt look like matcha powder but more like crushed green nuts? Thank you
Just wondering what you used for the other decoration on top apart from toffee nuts? Thanks
I read your post about the hazelnuts dipped in caramel, but what is the green dusting on the cake?
I saw your post about the caramel hazelnut decor, but what did you use for the green dusting?
Matcha powder (green tea)
How did that affect the taste of the cake?
Made this recipe today…I substituted with dark brown sugar….added 1/4 cup extra flour so it’s not so dense as stated. I sifted the flour beforehand as well. Came out moist n delicious define try a recipe I’ll use til I die lol
Sounds delicious! But I want to say thank you for using both imperial and metric measurements! It makes it so much easier! Thank you!!
Your cake recipe sounds great and look forward to trying! Carrot cake is my favorite? Where did you find the gorgeous wood cake stand and wood plates?
Hi Jamie – I didn’t have it my contributor baked this carrot cake recipe for me. :)
I’m confused. It calls for 2 inches of ginger? Was that a mistake?
It’s correct.
Would never make any part of this again! Tastes good, but the cake is WAY too moist and crumbly, and crazy dense. The icing is soup, even after adding an extra 3 cups of icing sugar it runs right off the cake, even after chilling for 30 mins, which I have never done with cream cheese frosting in the past. I am a very experienced baker and never have issues with other recipes I try, so wishing I hadn’t tried this one at all!
Angie – I am not sure what happened because we adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and didn’t have any issues. I apologized that you didn’t have a successful carrot cake. :(
Can’t wait to bake this beautiful cake! How many days in advance (without frosting) could I bake this? Or does it freeze well?
Thanks!
I’ll try it very soon and I’ll tell you if this cake meets the italian taste.