Ultimate Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This carrot cake is incredibly moist, packed with warm spices, and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting. Toasted pecans and brown sugar add deep flavor.
- Prep30 min
- Cook25 min
- Total3h 30m
- DifficultyMedium
- Servings12
This is the carrot cake you've been looking for: perfectly spiced, tender, and not overly sweet. The secret to its moist crumb is a combination of brown sugar, oil, and applesauce, while toasted pecans add a wonderful crunch.
The cream cheese frosting is rich and smooth, made with full-fat cream cheese and butter. It's the perfect finishing touch for this classic dessert, which is ideal for birthdays, holidays, or any celebration.
Ingredients
Servings
Cake
Frosting
Converted amounts are rounded.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the chopped pecans (or walnuts) on the sheet and toast for 6–8 minutes until fragrant, shaking the pan halfway. Let cool for 10–15 minutes.
- Grease two or three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds, and grease the paper as well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain.
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots and 1 cup (about 120g) of the toasted nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For three pans, bake about 20–25 minutes; for two pans, about 30–35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edges, remove from pans, peel off parchment, and let cool completely on the rack.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 3 minutes until creamy. If the frosting is too thin, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, level the tops of the cakes. Place one layer on a serving plate, spread 3/4 to 1 cup (180–240g) of frosting on top. Add the second layer upside down, spread the same amount of frosting. Top with the third layer right side up and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Garnish with the reserved toasted nuts. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before slicing. If refrigerated longer than 4 hours, let sit at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
- Store leftover cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
💡 Tips
- For the best flavor, toast the nuts just before using.
- Make sure all ingredients for the frosting are at room temperature for a smooth texture.
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
Inspired by a recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction