This two layer carrot cake was inspired by one of Todd's co-workers mentioning carrot cake and how she planned to serve it at her wedding. She was looking for the ultimate cake, and while I didn't really have the ultimate recipe, I did have this very good moist, dense carrot cake recipe.
It had been a while since I made carrot cake due to an unfortunate event wherein the carrots in my carrot cake turned green! I had this big, beautiful carrot cake and after cutting into it on Day 2, there were green flecks. Googling "carrot cake green" didn't give me any clear cut answers, but I spoke with friends who suggested it might be a reaction between the baking soda and something else. I've since learned that it's result of the baking soda not being thoroughly dispersed throughout the batter, so I'm always careful to really whisk the dry ingredients well before adding them to the batter.
Update: Over the years I've made many carrot cakes and haven't had issues with green carrots This cake has evolved a bit, and this is the latest rendition. Here's a new photo.
Recipe
Two Layer Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 13.5 oz
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅜ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar or evaporated cane juice crystals
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup shredded coconut I use the sweetened kind
- 1 small can crushed pineapple drained and pressed dry
- 2 cups grated carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar plus more if desired
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture gradually. Once the flour is blended, stir in the coconut, pineapple and carrots.
- Divide cake between two pans and bake for about 40-45 or until the top is brown and springs back when touched. Let cool before removing from pans.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, scraping bowl often. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
- Taste test, and if the frosting is not sweet enough for you, add more sugar.
Rachel says
I just made this last night and it turned out amazing! Especially after a day in the fridge, the cake is super moist and dense exactly how I like it. One recommendation: bake at 375 instead of 350. We baked at 350 for 40 min and the cake was still mostly liquid and almost spilled out when we tried to flip it out of the pan. Luckily it didn't and we put it in an extra 10 min at 375. The second cake we did at 375 and it cooked in exactly the prescribed 35 min.
Sheri says
Great cake followed your changes and added coconut too wonderful
Lauren says
I just made these in cupcake form, and they are good, but to me they don't taste quite carrot-cake-ey enough, any idea what good have gone wrong? Or what to add for extra oomph?
Louise says
Hi Anna!!! That carrot cake looks absolutely gorgeous!!! I was wondering...I'm thinking about doing a sort of carrot cake recipe round-up for Carrot Cake Day, Feb. 3rd. I was wondering if you minded if I grab your photo to include in the round-up. I would of course link to your post.
Hope all is well with you. Thanks for sharing...Louise.
Donna says
Oh my! How do I subscribe to all of these delicious recipes??? MMmmmmm. I can hardly wait to try some of them! Beautiful photos btw! and the recipes sound incredible! =)
Ashler says
My, my, my, I ususally bake it withouth the nuts and the pineapple and its usually good but not very moist. this recipe blew me away and i will definitely use this one all the time. I just can't seem to get the forsting right though. it was too cheesy and the more icing snow I add the more watery it becomes:( soaking the carrots in the sugar definitely adds to the moistiness. thanx a mill for this.
Kel says
EXCELLENT CAKE!!! However the frosting is just a little too loose for my liking, needs to be a little stiffer for ease of icing.
Anna says
Mercedes, thanks for the comment! I hope you like the cake. This is one I haven't made in a while.
Also, thanks for catching the double vanilla. There should be 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Mercedes says
The recipe lists vanilla 2x... I'm making it and assuming it calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla in the cake recipe and another in the frosting. Not a big deal to me but someone else might not notice and put it in twice.
Great site by the way. It reminds me of a book I just read called Cooking with Julia which is about a woman who cooks the entire book, The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in a year. She would cook a recipe or two or three a night! She also blogged about it and had a group of devoted fans rooting her on.
Anna says
Thanks for trying the recipe as cupcakes. I've only made it in cake form.
Nice photo!
Anh says
I made cupcakes with your carrot cake recipe yesterday and they were so delicious! I might cut back on the butter a little bit because the baking cups came out a little greasy on the bottom. But overall, they were very moist. This is definitely a keeper. Here's a photo:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2098336920059291365sIeEbY
Anna says
Hi Beth,
Thanks for trying out the carrot cake recipe. It's always nice when people are daring enough to try recipes I've monkeyed around with. My friends liked this one as well.
Thanks again for the review.
Beth says
Wow this was a fantastic recipe. I made this cake and frosting this weekend for my houseguests and they wanted to eat it for breakfast and lunch the next day. It is moist, great tasting, not the usual baking soda flavor that so often turns up in carrot cake. I will be using this as my carrot cake recipe from now on.
Randi says
Yummy, the top layer of my wedding "cupcake tower" was a big carrot cake for the wedding party. Have you tried the Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake? I believe its from the junior league of portland. I won 2nd place in our towns fair ( would have won first, but they didnt like the orange peel I put in the frosting). Its very moist and includes pecans, and coconut and pineapple.
Brilynn says
Now that's a carrot cake! I love it, but am so sad when people make them and they're dry. Yours clearly does not have that problem.
sandra says
I always use clear vanilla when I make cream cheese icing. The icing turns out so pretty and white. Wilton's makes it. I found it in the cake decorating section at WalMart.
Alanna says
Have you ever tried cooking and mashing the carrots? That's been my trick forever though in the last 10 years of forever I don't think I've made one so don't have a recent (and far more food aware) memory ... love the icing edging.
Drew says
OMG! Just beautiful. Drew is drooling...
Ana says
Wow, your cake looks really good!!
I am from Brazil, and there carrot cakes are done a bit different. I adore carrot cake, but am still to try one of these versions. I think I will give your version a try, as I really liked the picture and it seems like a very moist cake, which I also hapen to like!
Ana
peabody says
That is a great looking cake.
Anna says
I cut the end off one of those disposable decorating bags, but rather than stick a tip in it, I just put the icing in the bag and squeezed it out through the cut end. I think a heavy duty zipper bag would have worked just as well.
Anonymous says
Anna,
Your cake looks great! What sort of tool did you use for the lovely little icing dollops?
Tanya says
Looks wonderful! I love carrot cake and this looks like a good recipe. Thanks!