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carrot cake a thoughtful place

Delicious Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Mary Engelbreit's Sweet Treats Dessert Cookbook

Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp of olive oil chose to substitute for vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 cups grated or shredded carrots (about 1 pound)
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat over to 350°. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease and flour.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually beat in the granulated and brown sugars. Beat in the oil and vanilla until thoroughly blended.

  4. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture. With a large spoon, stir in the carrots and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

  5. Bake the layers for 33 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. *Original recipe called for baking them much longer but we found 33 minutes to be the magic number. Keep an eye on them and use the toothpick test.

  6. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remover the layers from the pan and let cool completely.

  7. Make the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until shiny and smooth.

  8. Place on layer on a serving plate and spread a thin layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate until serving.