Carrot Cake
Indulge in a delightful homemade carrot cake that's bursting with flavor! This moist treat features freshly grated carrots, warm spices, and a hint of crushed pineapple for a sweet twist. Perfectly topped with creamy cream cheese frosting, it's a slice of heaven you won’t want to miss!
Prep
15
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 3 large carrots
- 2 teaspoons of ginger (10 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 3 eggs
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder (10 ml)
- 400 grams of plain flour (3.2 cup)
- 250 grams of vegetable oil (8.82 oz)
- 300 grams of light brown sugar (1.5 cup)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 5 teaspoons or 2 and a half tablespoons of cinnamon (25 ml)
- 2 teaspoons of mixed spice (10 ml)
- 2 teaspoons of nutmeg (10 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Squeeze all the water out of the grated carrots and discard the water.
- 2
In a bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil.
- 3
Stir in the grated carrots.
- 4
Add the plain flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and baking powder. Stir until fully combined and there are no flour lumps.
- 5
Divide the batter between two 8-inch tins.
- 6
Bake in the oven at 190°C for 25 minutes.
- 7
Keep the icing in the fridge until the cakes are cold.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Skip squeezing water out of the grated carrots if you want a moister cake, but if the recipe calls for it, wring them in a clean kitchen towel until no more liquid releases—excess moisture (carrots are ~88% water) will make the crumb gummy and dense instead of tender.ingredient88% moisture content
- ✓Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and oil for a full 60-90 seconds until the mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, which incorporates air and partially emulsifies the oil into the eggs for a more stable batter structure.technique60-90 seconds
- ✓Add the baking powder and spices directly on top of the flour rather than mixing them in separately first, then fold everything together with no more than 15-20 strokes to prevent gluten overdevelopment, which causes toughness.technique15-20 strokes
- ✓Bake at 190°C (374°F) for exactly 25 minutes, then test with a skewer at the 22-minute mark since oven thermostats can vary by up to 10-15°C and carrot cake's high sugar and moisture content makes it prone to underbaking in the center.timing190°C/25 minutes
- ✓Cool the cakes completely to room temperature (below 27°C) before icing, since cream cheese frosting contains butter that begins melting at 32-35°C and will slide off warm cake layers.timingbelow 27°C
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
25
min
Serves
8
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Carrot Cake
Indulge in a delightful homemade carrot cake that's bursting with flavor! This moist treat features freshly grated carrots, warm spices, and a hint of crushed pineapple for a sweet twist. Perfectly topped with creamy cream cheese frosting, it's a slice of heaven you won’t want to miss!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 3 large carrots
- 2 teaspoons of ginger (10 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 3 eggs
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder (10 ml)
- 400 grams of plain flour (3.2 cup)
- 250 grams of vegetable oil (8.82 oz)
- 300 grams of light brown sugar (1.5 cup)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 5 teaspoons or 2 and a half tablespoons of cinnamon (25 ml)
- 2 teaspoons of mixed spice (10 ml)
- 2 teaspoons of nutmeg (10 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Squeeze all the water out of the grated carrots and discard the water.
- 2
In a bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil.
- 3
Stir in the grated carrots.
- 4
Add the plain flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and baking powder. Stir until fully combined and there are no flour lumps.
- 5
Divide the batter between two 8-inch tins.
- 6
Bake in the oven at 190°C for 25 minutes.
- 7
Keep the icing in the fridge until the cakes are cold.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Skip squeezing water out of the grated carrots if you want a moister cake, but if the recipe calls for it, wring them in a clean kitchen towel until no more liquid releases—excess moisture (carrots are ~88% water) will make the crumb gummy and dense instead of tender.ingredient88% moisture content
- ✓Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and oil for a full 60-90 seconds until the mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, which incorporates air and partially emulsifies the oil into the eggs for a more stable batter structure.technique60-90 seconds
- ✓Add the baking powder and spices directly on top of the flour rather than mixing them in separately first, then fold everything together with no more than 15-20 strokes to prevent gluten overdevelopment, which causes toughness.technique15-20 strokes
- ✓Bake at 190°C (374°F) for exactly 25 minutes, then test with a skewer at the 22-minute mark since oven thermostats can vary by up to 10-15°C and carrot cake's high sugar and moisture content makes it prone to underbaking in the center.timing190°C/25 minutes
- ✓Cool the cakes completely to room temperature (below 27°C) before icing, since cream cheese frosting contains butter that begins melting at 32-35°C and will slide off warm cake layers.timingbelow 27°C