Dad’s Favorite Carrot Cake ♡
This is the carrot cake you make for people who swear they don’t like carrot cake. A family favorite and the kind of cake that never lasts long. ♡
Ingredients ♡
Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnammon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups carrot freshly grated (best to use smallest grating setting)
- Optional: raisins and walnuts to your liking
Frosting:
- 2- 8oz blocks of softened cream cheese
- 1 stick softened butter (1/2 cup)
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Directions ♡
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9in round pans with parchment paper then grease using cake goop (1/2 c veggie oil, 1/4 sifted flour, 1/4 sift powdered sugar). Note: make sure the sides and bottom edges are well greased).
Sift the dry ingredients together until well combined. If you skip sifting, make sure there are no clumps of baking soda remaining.
In a separate bowl mix oil, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. Beat eggs in one at a time. Once well mixed scrape bowl well and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Stir in carrots.
Divide the cake between the two cake pans. Bake for 35-45mins until cakes come out cleanly with a toothpick. Note: try to avoid opening the oven early as it can make your cake fall. Best to take a knife around the edge of the cakes when cakes are removed from the oven, try to do it with the thinnest knife or cake tester.
Remove cakes from pans after 10-15min onto greased cooling racks. Remove parchment paper when they are cooled completely. If you find the cakes are sticking just leave them flipped and walk away!
Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese and the butter together. You want this to be very white and fluffy when finished. This step is important as this will avoid any lumps in the frosting. Add in vanilla and salt. Slowly add in 1/2 c powdered sugar at a time.
KK’s Tips ♡
Frosting temperature matters. If you’re spreading the frosting with a spatula, it’s pretty forgiving. If you’re piping, though, you don’t want the frosting too warm or too cold. Too warm and it won’t hold its shape; too cold and it won’t pipe smoothly.
For the piped look: Use a Wilton 4B open-star tip. When piping between the cake layers, don’t pipe directly along the outer edge. Remember that the top layer adds weight and can push the frosting outward and over the sides.
Freshly grate your carrots. Freshly grated carrots provide the most moisture. If you want the carrots to disappear into the cake, use the smallest grating setting. The larger the grate, the more visible the carrots will be.
Using a different pan? A 9×13-inch pan will take approximately 35–45 minutes. A Bundt pan will take approximately 55–65 minutes. Always check for doneness since ovens and pans can vary.
Storage: Because of the cream cheese frosting, keep the finished cake refrigerated before and after serving.
From my recipe box♡
