Carrot Cake

5 from 5 votes

This carrot cake is rich, moist and perfectly spiced. It's also super simple and topped with the most delicious cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 512kcal

Author: Alison

Ingredients

3 cups All Purpose Flour Measured correctly*
2 cups Light Brown Sugar or Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
¾ tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 and ½ tsp Nutmeg
3 Large Eggs
3 and ⅓ cups Grated Carrot (366g)
¾ cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp Applesauce
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
1 and ½ cups Walnuts Chopped

For the Frosting:

1 Recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

For Decorating:

Chopped Walnuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 9-inch cake pans* with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix together.
Add the eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and white vinegar and mix together into a thick batter. If it seems like it won't come together, then just leave the bowl for a couple of minutes (the carrots will release more moisture into the batter) and then return to it and mix it in. As long as you used fresh carrot that you grated yourself it will mix into a batter.
Add the chopped walnuts and fold them in.
Divide the batter between your two prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Leave to cool for a few minutes and then remove the cakes from the cake pans and transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

Video

Notes

The flour should be measured correctly using the spoon and level technique for measuring flour (spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife, don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup). Alternatively weigh it on a food scale. Click ‘metric’ below the list of ingredients to get the ingredients weight in grams for all ingredients.
You don't need to peel the carrots first, though you can if you want to. As long as they are washed and the tops and ends cut off then you can just go ahead and grate them. We use our food processor attachment to grate them super quickly and easily. You MUST use fresh carrots that you grate yourself. Don't buy pre-packaged grated carrots because they will be too dry for this recipe.
The applesauce is to provide extra moisture to the cake without oiliness. If you don't have any applesauce you can make some by puréeing apple or you can use crushed pineapple instead.
The vinegar reacts with baking soda and gives this cake some extra rise.
The walnuts can be omitted if you prefer. Alternatively chopped pecans will also work great.
This recipe makes a perfect two layer 9-inch cake. It also makes a perfect two layer OR three layer 8-inch cake. If you're making this as a two layer 8-inch cake then allow an extra 5 minutes of baking time since the layers are fatter.
This cake is best stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This is because of the cream cheese frosting which is most ideal stored in the fridge. However, if you're going to be consuming the cake within a day or two at the most and the weather is cool then you can store it at room temperature in an airtight container.
Nutritional information is for the cake only and does not include frosting. Nutritional information for the cream cheese frosting can be found on that separate recipe.

Nutrition