My Favourite Carrot Cake Recipe
My all time favourite Carrot Cake recipe - loaded with grated carrot, crushed pineapple, crunchy walnuts and smothered in cream cheese frosting, this will become your favourite carrot cake recipe too!
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Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (280g) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp each ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (110g) white sugar
- 1 cup oil (canola, vegetable, coconut etc)
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup plain unsweetened Greek yoghurt (or plain yoghurt)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrot (about 2 medium/large carrots)
- ¾ cup crushed pineapple (from a can, with most of the juice drained and discarded)
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 250 g block of cream cheese, room temperature
- 115 g butter, room temperature
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the cream cheese and the butter for the frosting from the fridge and set on the bench to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line the bottom of an 20cm/8" round cake tin and spray the tin with non-stick cooking spray. (see note 1 for using a bigger tin)
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the sugars, oil, eggs, yoghurt and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, keeping an eye on it after 45 minutes as cooking times can vary. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. I often let it cool for around 30 minutes and then put it in the fridge to speed up the process.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl using a stand or hand held mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar and add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt and mix on low speed until combined and then on high speed for 2 minutes. If the frosting is too runny for you, either put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before icing the cake or add another ¼ cup of icing sugar.
To assemble
- Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally using a large knife or cake leveller and place the bottom half of the cake on the serving plate. Spoon half of the frosting on top, and spread it right to the edges. Stack the top half of the cake on top and spread the rest of the frosting over. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. The frosting will set and it will make it easier to slice.
- If you have made the cake the day before (recommended for maximum flavour) remove the cake from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come back to room temperature.
- Store the cake covered in the fridge for 5 days.
Notes
1. You can use a 22cm/9" cake tin if this is what you have - you will just need to adjust the cooking time. I haven't tested the recipe using this size tin but I would check it after 40 minutes in the oven and then after each extra 5 minutes if it needs longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 577mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 4675IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 3.2mg
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