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Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Icing {Foolproof Recipe} – moist and sweet carrot cake with rich cream cheese icing that melts in your mouth.
Happy Wednesday everyone! With Easter around the corner, I’ve been craving carrot cake.
I’m glad to share this CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING {FOOLPROOF RECIPE}.
This is a tested recipe and even though things could go wrong when baking, if you follow the instructions you should be able to bake a delicious cake.
The truth is – there are tons of recipes on the web for carrot cake.
And they are all different. And most cakes look perfect in the photos. Since I didn’t have a family recipe for a carrot cake, I’ve been testing a lot of these recipes from websites and other bloggers.
I’ve had major fails…
For example:
- The cake isn’t moist enough, it has a very crumbly texture.
- The cake is way too sweet for my taste.
- The cake remains underbaked. Major red flag!
- The cake is too oily.
- The frosting is is too stiff.
Even though these problems are fixable, it is frustrating to see quite a few cakes go in the garbage!
Carrot cake is a great dessert for spring and especially Easter.
The cream cheese frosting goes perfectly with the soft and flavorful cake layers.
Preheat your over at least 30 minutes, before you place the cake pans in it. It needs to be hot!
Here are my suggestions if you decide to try this CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING {FOOLPROOF RECIPE}:
- Make sure all your ingredients are at foot temperature.
- Use finely grated carrots. This way your cake will not be underbaked. Larger pieces of carrots might prevent the cake from baking properly. I grated mine using a box grater, food processor won’t do the job!
- Use vegetable oil or light olive oil.
- Use cake flour. It makes the cake fluffy. Carrot cake is usually on the dense side, but by using cake flour you can make is texture a little fluffier.
- I bake 2 cake layers in 9 inch cake pans at the same time.
- Use a kitchen scale to make sure both pans are filled with equal amounts of batter.
- Once the cake layers are baked and cool, I use a 9 or 14 inch serrated knife (bread knife) to cut both layers into two thinner layers.
- It is easier to first mark the incision on the outside of the layer and then cut all the way through.
- This cake is on the dense side and it is easy to cut into thinner layers.
You can make cake flour at home. For 1 cup cake flour, use 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour.
For every 1 cup of flour, remove 2 tbsp of the flour and add 2 tbsp cornstarch.
CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING {FOOLPROOF RECIPE}
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, (optional)
- 3 cups finely grated carrots
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 1 stick, (1/2 cup/ 114 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
- 2 8 oz packs cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, , sifted
Other:
- 1 cup toasted walnuts for decoration
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Grease 2 9" cake pans with a cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and grease over the paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment beat eggs for 1 minute. Add sugar and beat for 4-5 more minutes on high until fluffy. Slowly add vegetable oil, beating on medium speed. Add vanilla.
- In a bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the other mixture in 3 increments, beating until just combined.
- Fold in carrots.
- Divide dough between 2 9" cake pans and bake for 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Turn the oven off and let the pans stay inside for 3-4 more minutes.
- Take out of the oven, let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then take them out and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cut each cake layer into 2 thinner layers.
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Beat butter in your mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat on medium for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl if necessary.
- Cut cream cheese into pieces and slowly add it to the mixer, beating on medium until smooth. Scrape the bowl if needed.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Place the first layer on a cake platter, cut side up. Spread cream cheese frosting to cover the layer. Repeat with the next 2 layers. Top with the 4th layer, spread generous amount over the top and sides of the cake.
- Decorate with chopped walnuts on the top and sides of the cake.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This cake looks absolutely gorgeous, Mira! It sounds like you really perfected this recipe. Underbaked and crumbly cakes are a definite no in my book too. Your version sounds perfect and I love the cream cheese icing! Pinned, of course!
Thanks Gayle!
This cake definitely looks like it is, indeed, perfect! It seriously looks SO moist and that cream cheese icing is just gorgeous! Would it be weird if I were to have a slice or two of this for breakfast this morning??
Thanks Sarah! I think it is perfect for breakfast! (Loaded with veggies 🙂 lol )
Hi Mira! This cake looks heavenly. You are so right, carrot cake totally has the potential to bomb! It never ceases to amaze me that I’ve tried recipes from “The Big Food Bloggers” and they bombed! And I’m thinking to myself….hmmmm. This cake DOES look foolproof and very Easter-ish!
Thanks Laura! I’m sorry we’ve both had the same experience! I’m sure some of my recipe don’t work for all my readers all the time, but it is important to look for the problem and try to perfect the recipe 🙂
The colour of this cake is amazing and that frosting just looks perfect. I am definitely trying this for Easter!
Hope you like it girl!
Mira, I am all about carrot cake for Easter!!! I can’t wait to try this one! May I ask what you use to cut each cake layer into 2 thinner layers? Your cake layers look perfect!!!! I need help!
I hope you like it Alice! What I love it that it is not overly sweet. I usually bake 2 layers in 9 inch pans and they are between 1 1/4 and 2 inches thick, depending on the moisture of the ingredients. I Use a large 9 or 14 inch serrated knife to cut the layers. You first mark the incision on the outside of the cake and then cut through. A sharp and long bread knife will work. The cake is moist, but still dense, which makes it easier to cut layers.
You did a phenomenal job on this carrot cake, Mira! It looks so good! Love all those layers!!
Thanks Jen!!!
The cake looks perfect Mira!! You did a wonderful job! Pinning!
Thanks friend!
Mira, this carrot cake is absolutely stunning! I love all your tips for making it perfectly every time, and the vibrant colors and nuts are beautiful 🙂 Pinning!
Thanks Medha!
I love carrot cake, and yours looks PERFECT! There’s no better dessert for Easter.
Pinned and Yummed before I got past the first picture. Carrot cake is my absolute favorite dessert! Anytime I see it on a menu, I HAVE to order it! And that cream cheese frosting – seriously, I could eat it straight out of the bowl! I generally just make a two-tiered cake, but I really like the smaller, multiple layers you’ve made. SO good!
Thanks Kathleen!