Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, candy, and frivolously spiced, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is the meals of which candy tooth desires are made. 

Pioneer Lady Carrot Cake

For the longest time, years truly, I used to be on a hunt for the most effective carrot cake recipe. Carrot cake is one in every of Sean’s favourite truffles and I attempted a number of truffles that have been good, however they simply didn’t measure as much as our expectations. We each have a tough time resisting carrot cake anytime it’s served, so the concept of creating the proper carrot cake at house was irresistible.

Then I discovered Ree Drummond’s carrot cake recipe and let me inform you, this child measures up. I haven’t tried one other recipe since I made this one for the primary time over ten years in the past. I make it at the very least annually, generally extra usually than that.

This carrot cake is moist and candy and extremely flavorful. Basic carrot cake usually consists of pecans within the frosting, so I’ve listed them beneath as optionally available. (I hardly ever embody nuts in my truffles and frostings, so I usually skip them when making a cake only for my household to get pleasure from.)

Easy Carrot Cake

It shouldn’t come as information to any of you that I’m not a cake decorator. Not even a bit of bit. My sister and I baked this cake one time once I was visiting her and whereas the phrase “rustic” covers a mess of errors, it may be pushing it right here.

Once you’re spending time together with your sister, laughing at your errors is far more enjoyable than trying to repair them.

So long as a cake is roofed in frosting, I’m completely satisfied.

I’ve tried to power myself to care what a closing cake appears like, however even for a fairly weblog put up, I’m simply not that woman. (You may thank my sister Jenny for the truth that she added flowers to the cake the primary time I photographed this cake and managed to make it presentable.)

My favourite truffles are nearly at all times baked in sheet pans or flipped out of a bundt pan. Jenny and I doubled the recipe and made two generously sized truffles–a layered spherical cake and a bundt cake–to serve a ton of individuals.

The recipe as written beneath makes a cake that’s massive sufficient to offer dessert for a median household just a few occasions over. I don’t advocate doubling it except you need to have a LOT of cake left over otherwise you’re making a cake for a giant celebration. (Not that anybody complains about additional cake!)

Can You Freeze Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting?

That’s an emphatic YES, my buddy. So, should you’re as large a fan of carrot cake as my husband is, go for it and double the recipe.

Refrigerate the cake in a single day to ensure the frosting is about after which wrap both the entire cake or particular person slices hermetic in plastic wrap, adopted by aluminum foil, a zip-close bag, or an alternate container.

Greatest Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake

I can consider few cake and frosting mixtures extra good than carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The carrot and cinnamon taste within the cake is enhanced and heightened by the addition of creamy, candy cream cheese frosting.

There are a few methods to get pleasure from this cream cheese frosting. The primary methodology is to only unfold the thick frosting excessive of the cooled cake in no matter methodology you need.

Once you frost your cake this fashion, every chew will embody a layer of moist carrot cake and one other layer of frosting.

After I make this cake in a bundt pan, I often flip the frosting right into a pourable glaze. By stirring heavy cream or complete milk into the cream cheese combination, you’ll create a thinner icing that’s good for pouring over an inverted bundt cake.

I like this methodology for topping my truffles because it requires only a few adorning abilities and any imperfections are simply hidden.

The frosting on this unimaginable carrot cake recipe is actually probably the greatest frostings I’ve tasted.

It has simply the correct amount of vanilla taste and powdered sugar blended in with the butter and cream cheese. I make this frosting even once I’m not making carrot cake; that’s how good it’s!

This cream cheese frosting can be scrumptious on cinnamon rolls, spice cakes, pumpkin cupcakes, and gingerbread recipes.

If you find yourself with any leftover frosting after you make this carrot cake, it retains effectively within the fridge for a few weeks. (Or go forward and dig in with a spoon, I gained’t inform.)

Basic Carrot Cake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your pan totally with butter. (A sheet pan, a 9×13, a bundt pan or (2) 8″ rounds will all work effectively.) Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs and beat till easy.
2. Whisk collectively the dry components in a separate bowl. Slowly add to the moist and blend to mix. Add the carrots and blend once more.
3. Pour into the ready pan and bake till a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. A sheet cake must be carried out in about 25 minutes, a bundt cake will take nearer to 45 minutes. Cool the cake fully earlier than frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake

1. Beat the cream cheese and the butter collectively till effectively mixed. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat once more till easy. Stir within the pecans, if desired.
2. When the cake is totally cool, frost as desired. When you want a glaze over a spreadable frosting, progressively add cream or milk whereas stirring continuously till the frosting is the specified consistency. Invert the bundt cake over a big plate and pour the glaze excessive.

Basic Carrot Cake

Dessert is a success each time I make this recipe. Whereas different carrot truffles I made previously turned out dense, dry, or too crumbly, this one seems moist and tender with each chew.

I’ve had some excellent carrot truffles from bakeries too however I’ve to say this home made carrot cake recipe is the most effective I’ve tasted. It makes an excellent birthday dessert or after-dinner deal with. A slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is simply good to share with a buddy over a cup of espresso within the afternoon.

I really like an excellent old style carrot cake with cream cheese frosting however I additionally get a kick out of different home made treats impressed by carrot cake. You may also get pleasure from these Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup and these Ginger Spice Carrot Cake Cookies.

To benefit from the richness of carrot cake taste in a nourishing hearty breakfast kind, you need to strive my Carrot Cake Oatmeal. It’s nearly pretty much as good as having cake for breakfast however even higher because you get to skip the inevitable sugar crash.

One other nice carrot cake for breakfast thought is that this recipe for Carrot Cake Muffin Tops with Cream Cheese Frosting by Shugary Sweets.

initially revealed 9/23/13 – recipe notes and images up to date 5/24/23

recipe barely tailored from and with due to The Pioneer Lady