Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting
This easy carrot cake with buttercream frosting is the perfect dessert or snack with tea, packed with carrots, applesauce & spices!
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 cup freshly grated carrot
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed into the measuring cup)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Buttercream Frosting
- 1½ cups butter, softened to room temperature (3 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
Instructions
Bake the Carrot Cakes
- Preheat the oven 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake tins with butter.Grate the carrots on the smallest holes of a box grater or in a food processor. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until it is smooth. Add the vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla extract. Whisk again until it is smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and gently mix just until there is no dry flour visible. Fold in the grated carrots until it's evenly distributed. The batter will be very thick.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the two 8-inch cake tins.Bake for about 22 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let the cakes cool in the cake tins for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them and transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Make the Buttercream Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter until it is a smooth, fluffy and pale yellow. (About 3 to 5 minutes with a hand mixer or stand mixer.)
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt and continue to beat until it is fluffy and well-combined. Set aside.
Assemble the Carrot Cake
- Trim the caramelized side edges off the two cake layers. Trim the tops of the cake so they are both level and flat.
- Place the first layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread out a few dollops of the buttercream on the top with a spatula or butterknife.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream, and spread out a few more dollops of the buttercream on the top of the second layer.
- Gently spread small dollops of the buttercream on the sides of the cake. Use a butter knife or a pallet knife to get the buttercream nice and even and smooth on the top and the sides.
- Refrigerate the cake for about an hour, so the buttercream has time to set. Then slice and enjoy!!
Notes
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- Use Freshly Grated Carrots: I recommend buying large carrots and shredding them on the smallest holes of a box grater or grating them in a food processor. Pre-shredded carrots from the store are too large and dry for the cake.
- Soft Cake: Don't overmix the batter, or else it could end up tough. Use a large spoon or silicone spatula to gently mix it.
- Nuts: For an additional crunchy texture, fold chopped nuts into the batter with the carrots. Or sprinkle chopped pistachios, walnuts, or almonds on the sides of the cake while the frosting is still soft.
- Frosting Flavor: Substitute almond or coconut extract for vanilla in the frosting for a unique taste. Or zest half an orange for a citrus pop of flavor.
- Single-Layer Cake: You can also bake this in an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish for a small sheet cake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.
- Storing: Store your cake in the fridge wrapped in plastic cling wrap for up to 4 days. Make sure the plastic wrap is against the open edges of the sliced cake to prevent them from drying out.
- Freezing: To store a fully decorated cake in the freezer, first place it unwrapped in the freezer for a few hours to fully harden the frosting. Then wrap it tightly in plastic cling wrap and aluminum foil and store for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 228mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 42IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg
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