Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4.89 from 9 votes

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is simple and delicious. This homemade carrot cake recipe is one that anyone can make and everyone will love!

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Keyword carrot cake, cream cheese frosting

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 872kcal

Author Chrissie Baker

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
4 eggs

For the frosting:

1 cup butter at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoon milk optional, depending on frosting consistency

For garnish:

1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
1/2 cup sweetened toasted coconut optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing them well and lining the bottom with a circular piece of parchment paper. It's also a good idea to grease the top of the parchment paper and flour the cake pans, as well.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a large bowl and whisk them together until combined.
Add the shredded carrots to the dry ingredients and whisk them in until they're evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients.
Measure the buttermilk and oil into a liquid measuring cup, then add the eggs. Whisk these 3 ingredients together with a fork.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine them with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the cake layers comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from their pans and cool them upside down on cooling racks until they cool completely.

For the frosting:

Add the room temperature butter to the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or to a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer). Mix the butter on medium high speed until it's creamy and smooth.
Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on medium-low speed until it's completely blended and thick (you might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times).
Add the cream cheese and the vanilla extract to the butter mixture and continue to whip on medium speed until they're well combined.
If at this point the frosting is too thick to spread, beat in a tablespoon or two of milk to loosen it up a little bit (add the milk a couple teaspoons at a time just to be sure you don't add too much!).
Once the frosting has reached the right consistency and the cake has cooled completely, frost the cake with a knife or an offset spatula, making sure there's a generous layer of frosting between the layers before frosting the sides and the top.

For garnish:

Decorate the cake with chopped walnuts and/or shredded toasted coconut (optional).

Video

Notes

How to Decorate

You can frost the cake any way you like, with a rustic swirl pattern or with smooth upward strokes. Once it's frosted, top it with the toasted coconut and chopped walnuts and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two before slicing.

Storage Instructions

This carrot cake is best served the day it's made or the day after it's made. It should be stored in the fridge and lasts for about 3 days before it begins to dry out.

Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions

Feel free to make the cake layers ahead of time, wrap them in plastic wrap (don't use foil, as it's not airtight), and then store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to thaw the cake layers completely to room temperature before frosting, if you freeze them.

Nutrition