This is it; my 100th recipe added to this blog! Tyana has been asking me to add it for at least 7 years. This is everything you want a carrot cake to be, just the right amount of spices, sweetness, flavor, and texture. It is the cake that I get the most request to make, whether for a large gathering or a simple dessert. I have made four wedding cakes with this recipe and last year Austin and Dana’s wedding was the first time I made gluten-free wedding cake. One tier of Tyana and Dayton’s wedding cake was this carrot cake and years later, the guests and family still talk about how much they loved it. Tyana’s father-in-law is not much for dessert, but he loves this cake!
For the best flavor, use fresh spices and freshly ground nutmeg. When making it gluten-free, use a flour blend that is a 1:1 substitute for wheat flour and allow 20-30 minutes for the batter to rest so the flours can absorb moisture and prevent graininess that is so common in gluten-free baked goods. Also, gluten-free tends to take longer to bake, so make sure it is well done. I give it a few more minutes to bake after the toothpick test has no crumbs. My biggest fear, especially with large celebration cakes, is for it to be underbaked. That is the best way to ruin a cake, because it is gummy, raw, and disgusting, with no way to fix it. Carrot cake is so moist and dense that overbaking a bit can be easily fixed by brushing the cake layers with melted and strained orange marmalade or apricot preserves, or a simple syrup with orange liqueur added.
Cream cheese frosting is very popular, but most are overly sweet because they are made with a lot of powdered sugar. On the other hand, white chocolate cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly while keeping a slight tang and the perfect sweetness, in fact it has no added sugar besides what is in white chocolate. It also happens to be the easiest to make and use, including piping and for adding color. Search the blog for frosting and you will find the recipe and tips.
This can make a single layer 9×13-inch cake or a 10-inch square, or 3 layers of 8-inch or 9-inch round, or for a 12-inch wedding cake, the recipe makes one layer, so I make three batches for a three layer wedding cake. A 9×13-inch cake will be the easiest for a casual dessert because you can leave it in the pan and simply top it with cream cheese frosting or whipped cream. To be on the safe side, I skip nuts when making it for a wedding. Pistachios are so good with it though, much better than walnuts.
Carrot Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour (260g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon chai spice blend or 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cardamom, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature (150g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar (110g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegetable oil (210g)
- 3 cups shredded carrots (300g)
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, optional
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (120g)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease and line pans with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. If using a 9×13-inch pan, it is unnecessary to use parchment paper unless you want to remove the cake from the pan.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a large stand mixer, using a whisk attachment, cream the eggs, sugars, and vanilla on high speed until the mixture thickens and forms ribbons, 10-15 minutes. Slowly drizzle in oil while continuing to mix on high speed. Stir in carrots and pistachios.
Fold half of the flour mixture into the creamed oil, sugar, and egg mixture. Stir in buttermilk and then fold in the rest of the flour mixture until completely blended.
For a 12-inch or 10-inch round, or 9×13-inch rectangular, or 9-inch or 10-inch square cake pans, pour all the batter into the chosen pan and be sure to grease the pan and line with parchment. To make a layered cake with 8-inch or 9-inch round pans, divide the batter evenly between three pans. If using gluten-free flour, allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before putting in the oven. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes for multiple pans, or 45-60 minutes for pans containing the entire batch. Gluten-free cakes need slightly longer in the oven. The aroma should be very strong and the cakes will be pulling away from the sides of the pan. It is better to err on longer cooking times because underbaking is an easy way to ruin a cake. Overbaking, but not burning, will not ruin it because this is a very moist cake and brushing the layers with melted jelly or simple syrup is a trick to moisten it if it does turn out dry. I have never had it turn out dry and I have been baking it for over 16 years.
Remove the cakes from the oven and set on cooling racks for up to 10 minutes to cool before removing the cake from pans. Once removed, cool completely on cooling racks before frosting.
Store unfrosted cake layers well wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days. Refrigerate until cold before frosting. Brush cake layers with syrup or jelly just before frosting, not in advance. White chocolate cream cheese frosting is highly recommended. Once frosted, store refrigerated for 5 days. Freeze airtight for longer storage, frosted or unfrosted.
These may be made as cupcakes, but I have not done it, so I cannot say how many it makes or how long to bake.
