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Super-Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 4 cups peeled and grated carrots
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts I used pecans
  • 1 cup dark raisins I used dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple my addition
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup canola or safflower oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1/2 pound 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • two 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
  • 5 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated orange zest or lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. 2. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside
  3. 3. mix the carrots, pecans, cranberries, and pineapple in a bowl - set aside.
  4. 4. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, bakings soda, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix. Set aside.
  5. 5. Combine the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a separate bowl and whisk until well blended ( I did this with my mixer)
  6. 6. slowly fold in the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir to blend just until all the dry ingredients are moist and blended. Do not over mix. Fold in the carrot mixture and stir just until combined.
  7. 7. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
  8. 8. Remove from the oven and cool the akes 10 to 15 minutes in the pans. Remove from the pans and continue to cool on a baking rack.
  9. 9. Once the akes have colled completely, cut the rounded tops of to make each cake a flat, even surface.
  10. 10. Place one of the layers cut side down on a cake plate. Top with about one-third of the frosting and spread evenly to cover the top of the cake layer. Place the next layer, cut side down, on top of the frosting and spread the top of the cake with about one-half of the remaining frosting. Use the remaining frosting the cover the sides of the cake.
  11. Cream Cheese Frosting
  12. 1. Place the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and cream together with an electric mixer until light and smooth.
  13. 2. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth.
  14. 3. Add the orange zest and vanilla and continue to mix on high speed about 1 minute to make the frosting light and fluffy.