CARROT CAKE RECIPE

This super moist carrot cake recipe is quick, easy to make and truly delicious. Without using too many ingredients, you can try this recipe at home and definitely you will fall in love with this from the first attempt as there is no way it can go wrong.

After the first experience of tasting a carrot cake very recently, I wanted to do it myself and see how it goes. This turned out to be the best tasting cake I have made so far. Without further dragging let's dig into the recipe.

INGREDIENTS - CAKE

• All-purpose flour - 250 g
• Baking soda - 2 teaspoons
• Fine salt - ½ teaspoon
• Cinnamon powder - 1 ½ teaspoons
• Carrot - 300 g (grated)
• Sugar - 200 g (white, granulated)
• Brown sugar - 200 g (lightly packed)
• Canola/Vegetable oil - 295 ml
• Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
• Egg - 4 whole eggs
• Raisin - 65 g
• Walnut - 100 g (chopped)

INGREDIENTS - CREAMY FROSTING

• Cream cheese - 225 g (at room temperature)
• Sugar - 140 g (powdered)
• Heavy whipping cream - 80 ml
• Walnut - 50 g (chopped for topping)

METHOD 

• Step 1: Heat the oven to 176 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9 inch cake pans. Or, grease the cake pans, line the bottom of the pans with  parchment paper and then grease the top of the parchment paper.
• Step 2: In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt) together.
• Step 3: Whisk sugar, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl until a smooth texture appears.
• Step 4: Add eggs into this bowl one at a time and whisk until combined.
• Step 5: Then add the dry ingredients mixture in three parts into the wet ingredient mixture and gently stir using a spatula until they disappear to give a smooth batter.
• Step 6: Once the batter is ready, add carrot, raisin and walnut into the batter and give a good mix.
• Step 7: Pour the cake mixture into the greased cake pans and bake the cake in the pre heated oven at 176 degrees Celsius for about 40 - 45 minutes (it will give a fantastic smell when properly baked).
• Step 8: Once baked, let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack for further cooling.

Until the cake becomes cool, it's the time to make the frosting. Just continue the steps as follows,

• Step 9: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 minute.
• Step 10: Add powdered sugar in four parts and beat until fluffy. 
• Step 11: Add the heavy whipping cream and beat on medium heat for 1 minute.
• Step 12: Chill cover the creamy frosting, until ready to use.
• Step 13: Once the cakes become cool, apply a thin layer of creamy frosting on one cake. Layer the other cake on top of it. Apply the rest of the creamy frosting as a layer on the top cake and sprinkle the chopped walnuts on it.
• Step 14: Keep the cake in a refrigerator for few hours before eating.

For the oil, it is better to use a neutral flavoured oil because, if you use a flavoured oil such as coconut oil, once the cake is baked it can have the flavour of the oil. But still you can try with the coconut oil as there is no difference to the texture of the cake.

Cinnamon is added to enhance the flavour of this cake. Alternatively you can add ground clove or ground all spices according to your preference.

When using sugar, you can use only white sugar according your preference instead of using both brown and white. Also, if you  need to reduce the amount of sugar you can do so, but just note that the amount mentioned in this recipe will give the required moistness to the cake.

In this recipe I have used walnuts. Instead you can try using pecans or cashew nuts if you prefer. Besides, if you do not like to have nuts and raisin, you can opt out. If you prefer, you can add pineapple to this cake and it will give more sweetness and moisture to the cake.

For the frosting,  if you do not have the ingredients or if you do not like to have a creamy frosting, you can have the cake without any frosting at all or else with a little bit of powdered sugar on top. Even the plain cake tastes really good. As I felt the plain cake tasted similar to a muffin, I prefer to have the cream frosting on this carrot cake. Anyway, the above given recipe for cream frosting is a soft frosting and not ideal to cover the entire cake as it is more the consistency of a stabilised whipping cream rather than the traditional cream cheese frosting.

When looking into the taste, as per my experience this cake will have its best taste once it is properly refrigerated at least for 4 - 5 hours. Also, as there is a cream cheese frosting, it is better to keep the cake refrigerated and it will last for about 5 - 6 days. But still, if you prefer you can keep it in normal room temperature and it will last only for about two days.

Using this same recipe you can make cupcakes as well. If so, pour the cake batter into cupcake liners placed in a cupcake mould and bake for 15 - 18 minutes in 176 degrees Celsius. This recipe will be enough to have 20 - 25 standard size cupcakes.

I would love to hear your own experience in trying this carrot cake recipe. If you have any query, opinion or an idea, do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Also you can follow my Facebook page Cuisines in Style to see the updates. In addition you can tag @cuisines_in_style in your Instagram posts, so that I can see your creative cake ideas.