Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting
If you're like me and not a huge fan of tangy cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake with buttercream frosting is for you! The layers of cinnamon-spiced cake are soft & moist thanks to applesauce, brown sugar and freshly grated carrots.
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 1 cup freshly-grated carrot
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 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. Gently fold in the grated carrots just until they're evenly distributed. The batter will be very thick, but be careful not to overmix it.
- 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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- Carrots: I recommend buying large whole carrots, then peeling & shredding them on the smallest holes of a box grater or grating them in a food processor. Packaged pre-shredded carrots are too large and dry for this cake.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 12)Calories: 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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