This is an old carrot cake recipe from Cooking Light magazine. It's a very good recipe, so don't be put off by the photo. I could have done a better job with that.
Here's a link to the recipe in Cooking Light. One note. I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8 inch round cake pan. It took 30 minutes to bake.
Recipe
Cooking Light Carrot Cake
An 8 inch carrot cake adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine. The Cooking Light Carrot Cake can be baked in a metal or glass pan. If using glass, reduce the temperature to 325 and bake until cake springs back when touched.
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, kind of a heavy cup at 140 grams (140 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated carrot
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar (50 grams)
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened (42 grams)
- 1 large egg plus 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- Cooking spray
Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened (84 grams)
- ½ ounce fromage blanc or another ½ oz cream cheese (14 grams)
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened (14 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (I use only 1 cup) (120 grams to 180 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. If using a glass pan, reduce oven heat to 325.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the 1 cup of grated carrots.
- Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanlila, beating well.
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Spread batter in the pan and bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and next 4 ingredients until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Nicole says
Oh, my bad! I guess I should actually read the articles BEFORE looking at the recipes. Sorry you didn't win, but hey you won "THE Bakeoff" instead which is a much NICER pay off!
Anna says
Thanks, Nicole! That was from last year's CL cook-off and I didn't win. The winner was a delicious blueberry-lemon cupcake created by Gloria Bradley. Cooking Light is still accepting entries for their next cook-off, so if you have a lightened up favorite, you should enter.
Nicole says
What? no reference to your recipe in Cooking Light? There I am flipping my pages on the bus ride home and I see your face beaming back at me. Way to go on being a finalist! Hope you win! Going to try your cake for Easter. Sounds Tas-TY! Mmmm! Good luck.
Nicole
Claire says
Looks great! I really like carrot cake, too.
Cassandra Tan says
That's why they put the sudafed behind the counter.....they make it into crystal meth. But dear heavens, how do you get through springtime without sudafed and/or claritin?
Anna says
Bev, I didn't have the right kind of cream cheese on hand and had to use tub style. My icing is a combination of tub style, butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon. I can't remember the proportions.
Krista, I wondered for half a second if anyone would notice I subbed walnuts for pecans. What happened was I just had a little bag here I wanted to get rid of...but yes, it was out of character. I hope the pecan growers of America aren't upset with me.
KristaMB says
I just about fell out of my chair when I read that you used walnuts instead of pecans. 🙂 You always use pecans! Sorry to hear that you're sick, but hey- at least the crack let you bake up a storm!
Bev says
I adore carrot cake!!! Actually, I'm not sure which I like better....the cake or the cream cheese icing. 🙂 Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Sending "get-well soon" wishes your way.....