The carrot cake
I’ve baked this carrot cake for all three of our kids’ first birthdays and many since—that’s a lot of carrot cake. The recipe has evolved somewhat over the years, and I skipped the nuts in the baby days. There’s nothing fancy or tricky about it, but in my family we think it’s pretty much perfect.
carrot cake recipe
Makes a 9” round, 2 layer cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
Butter for greasing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for flouring pans
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups neutral vegetable oil (such as sunflower or grapeseed)
4 large eggs
3 cups grated carrots (peeled first - approx. 4 large carrots)
1 cup raisins (soaked beforehand if they’re dried out)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting:
2 packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick butter (4 oz.), softened at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
zest of 1 lemon
1 TBS. lemon juice
Equipment:
Two 9-inch round cake pans
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cake pans by greasing with butter then sprinkling with a bit of flour. swirl flour around until all inside surfaces of the pans are coated, then knock out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, and eggs until combined. Stir in flour mixture until combined, then stir in carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
Divide batter evenly between pans, smoothing down the tops if needed. Place on center rack of oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, rotating midway through cooking. Cake is done when a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool before frosting.
Make frosting: Using an electric mixer, blend cream cheese, butter, and sifted confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy, 5 minutes or so. Add zest and drizzle lemon juice over the top, then mix another minute or two until incorporated. Refrigerate frosting if not using immediately; bring to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before decorating cake.
When cake has cooled, run a knife around the outer edge of both cakes. Invert the first layer onto serving platter or stand. Using an offset or regular spatula, spread a layer of frosting evenly on the top of the cake layer, then carefully invert the second layer on top of it. Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and over the edges of the cake, making dips and swoops. If the frosting seems to stiff and hard to spread, let it sit for a few minutes. It doesn’t have to look perfect!