The Finest Carrot Cake Recipe EVER

April 3, 2025

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This Carrot Cake recipe with buttermilk is moist with a young chew and coated in thick do-it-yourself cream cheese frosting. Whipped up in a single bowl, this cake is stuffed with cozy spice and irresistible taste. One chew and also you would possibly simply neglect each different dessert exists.

Carrot Cake, Retaining it Easy!

I’m satisfied that if you happen to don’t like carrot cake, you’re making the flawed carrot cake recipe. Rising up, I actually hated carrot cake due to the chunks of pineapple. Classically, a carrot cake recipe is made round Easter (or Spring basically) and does name for nuts, coconut (typically), and crushed pineapple. Whereas I’ve instructions for including in these elements beneath, mine is the plain Jane model that includes grated carrot, a wide range of spices, and essentially the most wonderful cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Cake Ingredient Substitutions

That is a simple, do-it-yourself carrot cake recipe that may depart you wanting extra. Many of the elements are pantry staples that you just’ll be capable of discover already at residence or on the retailer. Nonetheless, listed here are some useful ingredient substitutions simply in case:

Buttermilk – Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with baking soda to launch carbon dioxide bubbles, which raise the batter and create a delicate, fluffy texture. For those who don’t have buttermilk you may substitute with an equal quantity of normal milk + 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg + Cloves – all heat scrumptious spices present in conventional carrot cake recipes. I’ve realized from different beforehand revealed recipes that cloves will be fairly a controversial ingredient. If you’re not a fan of cloves, simply omit them or cut back the listed quantity by half.
Canola Oil – oil retains the carrot cake good and moist. Any light-colored oil will work like vegetable, avocado, or grape seed oil. Or if you happen to’re in a pinch, melted butter!
Carrots – I extremely suggest shredding your individual carrots quite than shopping for pre-shredded carrots. But when all you have got is the pre-shredded variety simply be aware that your cake will are typically drier.

Wait, No Eggs?

I feel it’s vital to notice that this recipe *doesn’t* name for eggs. It’s not a typo, of us!! There are not any eggs listed within the recipe card as a result of I don’t add eggs to this cake batter. Structurally, it’s superb with out eggs and your carrot cake recipe will prove simply as lovely as mine, pictured beneath. I promise this cake will prove completely with out the eggs. Dare I say you received’t even discover? And as an additional bonus, you may lick out the bowl with no uncooked egg guilt…not that that ever stops me. Ahem.

Carrot Cake Add-Ins

As I discussed above, the listed recipe beneath doesn’t embrace all of those extras. If you want so as to add within the coconut, pecans, and/or pineapple, right here’s how one can do it:

Crushed pineapple: Scale back the buttermilk by 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup further flour to the batter. Drain one 8 oz can of crushed pineapple. Stir in with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as normal.
Pecans: Stir in 3/4 cup of toasted and chopped pecans into the batter with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as normal. Walnuts or almonds are additionally a very good substitution.
Coconut: Stir in 1 1/2 cups sweetened, desiccated coconut into the batter with the grated carrot. Bake, cool, and frost as normal.

For those who don’t wish to add within the crushed pineapple however wish to add in pecans or coconut, the buttermilk doesn’t must be diminished since you’re not including in further moisture such as you could be with the pineapple.

Cake Dimension Choices

This carrot cake recipe will make:

24 cupcakes (350° F for 15-20 minutes)
two 8 or 9-inch spherical truffles (350° F for 20-25 minutes)
9×13 cake (350° F for 25-Half-hour)

No want to vary the frosting recipe, it’s sufficient to frost any of the choices above.

The way to Make Carrot Cake

No stand or hand mixer is required to make my carrot cake recipe. It’s a one-bowl, tremendous easy recipe that’s almost inconceivable to mess up! I promise you’ll find it irresistible. For full particulars, see the recipe card down beneath 🙂

1. Prep and Preheat

Preheat oven. Line two 8 or 9-inch spherical cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper and put aside.

2. Make Carrot Cake Batter

In a big bowl, measure out all dry elements and whisk collectively to mix. Create effectively within the middle of the dry elements and pour within the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir till simply included. Add in carrots and stir once more.

3. Bake + Cool

Divide batter evenly between baking pans and clean the tops. Bake 20-25 minutes or till set. Take away from oven and funky till pans are simply heat. Invert truffles onto cooling racks, take away parchment paper and funky fully.

4. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Whereas truffles are cooling make the cream cheese frosting. Place cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into a big bowl. Stir with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) till fully mixed, thick and clean. Scrape the perimeters and stir once more briefly to make sure a clean frosting.

5. Beautify Carrot Cake

Place one cake onto a cake plate or serving platter. Unfold about 1 1/2 cups of frosting onto the cake evenly (doesn’t need to be actual) being certain to push frosting proper to the sides of the cake. Prime with the opposite cake spherical. With the remaining frosting, frost the cake exterior. This may be performed with easy instruments just like the again of a spoon, butter knife, or an offset spatula.

Beautify with something from chopped pecans, coconut shreds, sprinkles, and even coloured frosting within the form of carrots. Completely satisfied baking! 🙂

Make-Forward Choices

This carrot cake recipe is a good make-ahead dessert, particularly across the holidays. Due to that, I’m going to stipulate three choices on how one can make this cake recipe forward of time.

1. Make and Retailer Individually

Bake and funky your cake layers fully. Cowl in plastic wrap and retailer within the fridge. You may as well make the frosting forward of time and retailer it within the fridge (coated). When prepared to embellish the cake, let your frosting come to room temperature (quarter-hour) then give it a fast combine to loosen it up once more.

2. Make, Assemble + Retailer

It’s fairly self-explanatory. Make your cake, frost it, after which retailer within the fridge for as much as every week. Be sure that to cowl effectively.

3. Freeze (Frosted or Unfrosted)

This carrot cake will be frozen for as much as 3 months! To serve, switch your frozen carrot cake to the fridge to thaw in a single day. Then let it come to room temperature in your counter earlier than adorning or serving.

Love Carrot Cake? Attempt These:

Mates, I’ll have an issue. I really like carrot cake a lot, that I’ve developed fairly a couple of recipes impressed by it!

The printable recipe card is beneath! Have an excellent day, buddies!

For those who make this recipe, I’d actually recognize it if you happen to would give it a star ranking and depart your overview within the feedback! When you’ve got an image of your completed dish, submit it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Carrot Cake Recipe with Buttermilk

Spicy, moist, delicate and scrumptious, this Carrot Cake Recipe with buttermilk and a thick cream cheese frosting will grow to be your go-to favourite cake!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 8 or 9-inch spherical cake pans with cooking spray and parchment paper and put aside.
In a big bowl, measure out all dry elements and whisk collectively to mix.
Create effectively within the middle of the dry elements and pour within the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir till simply included. Add in carrot and stir once more.
Divide batter evenly between baking pans and clean the tops. Bake 20-25 minutes or till set.
Take away from oven and funky till pans are simply heat. Invert truffles onto cooling racks, take away parchment paper and funky fully.
To make the frosting, place all elements into a big bowl. Stir with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) till fully mixed, thick and clean. Scrape the perimeters and stir once more briefly to make sure a clean frosting.
Place one cake onto a cake plate or serving platter. Unfold about 1 1/2 cups of frosting onto the cake evenly (doesn’t need to be actual) being certain to push frosting proper to the sides of the cake.
Prime with the opposite cake spherical. With the remaining frosting, frost the cake exterior. This may be performed with easy instruments just like the again of a spoon, butter knife, or an offset spatula.
Beautify with something from chopped pecans, coconut shreds, sprinkles, and even coloured frosting within the form of carrots.

Notes

See full weblog submit for a number of variations and suggestions for achievement.

Vitamin

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