Homemade Carrot Cake

Homemade carrot cake is incredibly soft and moist with fresh grated carrots and notes of cinnamon, topped with a rich cream cheese icing. This is the perfect cake for any occasion!

Info and tips for homemade carrot cake

Carrot cakes uses oil instead of butter to help stay tender and moist longer. Oil based cakes normally rely on baking soda/powder to help the cake rise properly. Whisking your eggs enough will also help add air bubbles to your batter and lead to a light and fluffy cake.

Moisture is super important in this recipe because we don’t want a dry cake. Grating your own carrots is essential as pre grated carrots are too dry. Adding apple sauce will also help ensure your carrot cake doesn’t come out dry.

I added cute little carrots on top. You don’t need any fancy tools, just some extra cream cheese icing, food dye, and two zip locks! Add a spoonful to each zip lock with some food dye, mix well, cut a small hole in the corner, and design away.

Equipment

I used a 9 x 13 Cake Pan for this recipe.

I used a Hand Mixer to make the cream cheese icing.

Ingredients for homemade carrot cake

cake

• 1 and a 1/2 cups neutral oil (i used canola)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups fresh grated carrots
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

cream cheese icing

• 1 block cream cheese (250g)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tsp
• 4 tsp butter
• red, yellow, and green food colouring (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Start by combining the oil and brown sugar together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk in 1 egg at a time until everything ins combined and you have a light caramel colour.
4. Fold in the apple sauce and fresh grated carrot. Set wet batter aside.
5. In another bowl whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda).
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients along with the chopped walnuts until incorporated. Make sure not to over mix.
7. Add batter to a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
8. Meanwhile make the cream cheese icing by mixing all listed ingredients with a hand mixer. Make sure butter and cream cheese are softened.
9. If you’d like to make carrot designs on top, take two zip-loc bags and add 1 spoonful of icing to each with a couple drops of green food colouring to one, and red and yellow to the other. Mix them well and cut off a tiny piece of the corner when you are ready to design!
10. Once the cake has finished baking and cooled, spread on the cream cheese icing evenly. Design carrots on top if you’d like and that’s it enjoy!

See below for a video tutorial!

Be sure to check out my Strawberry Cheesecake Crumb Bars or my Mini Egg Easter Nests for more fun spring recipes!

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Homemade Carrot Cake

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Desserts

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 9 x 13 pan

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 40 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour

Homemade carrot cake is incredibly soft and moist with fresh grated carrots and notes of cinnamon, topped with a rich cream cheese icing.

Ingredients

• Cake
• 1 and a 1/2 cups neutral oil (i used canola)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups fresh grated carrots
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• Cream Cheese Icing
• 1 block cream cheese (250g)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tsp
• 4 tsp butter
• red, yellow, and green food colouring (optional)

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2

Start by combining the oil and brown sugar together in a large bowl.

3

Whisk in 1 egg at a time until everything ins combined and you have a light caramel colour.

4

Fold in the apple sauce and fresh grated carrot. Set wet batter aside.

5

In another bowl whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda).

6

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients along with the chopped walnuts until incorporated. Make sure not to over mix.

7

Add batter to a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

8

Meanwhile make the cream cheese icing by mixing all listed ingredients with a hand mixer. Make sure butter and cream cheese are softened.

9

If you'd like to make carrot designs on top, take two zip-loc bags and add 1 spoonful of icing to each with a couple drops of green food colouring to one, and red and yellow to the other. Mix them well and cut off a tiny piece of the corner when you are ready to design!

10

Once the cake has finished baking and cooled, spread on the cream cheese icing evenly. Design carrots on top if you'd like and that's it enjoy!