Because nobody actually likes carrots, and we've got to do SOMETHING with them!
I'm titling this as a homage to one of my family's favorite restaurants that we would go to for all special occasions. There was no carrot cake like the one you could order there ~ and this recipe is a close match.
Lighter Option: If you are not a fan of pecans or raisins, consider omitting these and substituting the cream cheese for reduced fat. See nutritional data below for comparison.
Lighter Option 2: If you are craving carrot cake but don't want to commit to the entire cake, consider making the cake with 1 tier instead. Simply use half of the measurements indicated below for all ingredients, and bake it all in one cake pan. You'll end up with a 1-tiered carrot cake with half the amount of calories, protein, carbs, fiber, and fat per serving.
Prep Time: 25 Minutes | Cook Time: 35 Minutes [+ 1 hour to cool] | Total Time: 120 Minutes
Special Equipment
(2) 9inch Round Cake Pans
2 medium bowls
2 large mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Electric Hand Mixer
1 Whisk
Cooling Rack (or two large plates)
Cake stand (or large bowl)
Ingredients (US Standard)
Cake Ingredients
Cooking Spray
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/4 cup Coconut Oil (or preferred cooking oil)
1 cup White Granulated Sugar
1 cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 large Eggs
3 cups Shredded Carrots (about 5-6 medium sized carrots)
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Cup Raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
1 stick Butter, room temperature
8oz Cream Cheese Brick, cold (not the spreadable variety)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
4 cups Powdered Sugar
Ingredients (Metric)*
Cake Ingredients
Cooking Spray
240g All Purpose Flour
9.6g Baking Soda
2.8g Salt
3.3g Cinnamon
300 mL Coconut Oil (or preferred cooking oil)
200g White Granulated Sugar
192g Coconut Sugar
5mL Vanilla Extract
4 large Eggs
300g Shredded Carrots (about 5-6 medium sized carrots)
100g Chopped Pecans
65g Raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
113g Butter, room temperature
224g Cream Cheese Brick, cold (not the spreadable variety)
5mL Vanilla Extract
1.4g Salt
480g Powdered Sugar
*All metric units are converted and should be considered more or less.
Cake Method
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Use cooking spray to grease two 9inch round cake pans. Use paper towel to wipe any excess grease, and set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, add the carrots, pecans, and raisins. Stir to combine, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, coconut sugar, white granulated sugar, and vanilla. Then whisk the eggs, adding one at a time, until all in well combined.
Add 1/3 of the flour combination to wet ingredients, and use rubber spatula to combine until no dry flour is left. Repeat with another 1/3 of flour combination, stirring to combine. Then repeat once more with remaining flour mixture, until no dry ingredients are remaining. Note: Only combine just until no dry ingredients remain - stirring any further will result in over-mixing.
Now pour in the carrot mixture, and combine well with the rubber spatula. Batter will be thick, but moist.
Divide batter into both greased 9" round cake pans. You may need to use a spoon to spread evenly in the pan until one uniform thickness is covering each pan.
Bake on the top rack for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork inserted comes out clean.
Remove cakes from the oven, and allow them to cool in the cake pans for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove cakes from pans by turning them over on top of a cooling rack or large plate. The cakes should fall right out of the pan. If they are sticking, simply leave them upside down for a few minutes and they will eventually fall out.
Cool cakes completely. This will take about an hour. (I always bake the cakes in advance, and cool them in the refrigerator overnight)
Once cakes are completely cooled, frost with cream cheese icing (see below for instructions)
Cream Cheese Frosting Method
In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and the brick of cream cheese.
Use hand mixer to beat ingredients until well combined, creamy, and lump-free.
Add vanilla and salt. Beat to combine.
With hand mixer set to low, add 1/3 powdered sugar, and combine until mixture is silky and smooth. Add the next 1/3, combine well, and then add the remaining 1/3. Once all powdered sugar has been added, the cream cheese frosting is complete.
Frost the Cake
Place one completely cooled cake onto a cake stand (or large plate if you don't have a stand).
Use rubber spatula to add one scoop of frosting to the center of the top of the cake.
Slowly, and carefully, spread it across the top of the cake. The icing should cover the top of the cake, but does not need to be thick. If you add too much, the top layer will not stick well and may slide from the bottom. [During this step, do not frost anything but the top of this cake.]
Add the second cake to the top of the first one. Use rubber spatula to add one scoop to the center of the top of the second cake, and spread it evenly (just as you did in the previously step). Do not worry if frosting is not desired thickness - you will add more during final step.
Once the top of the cake is frosted, start adding to the sides. Use the rubber spatula to add another scoop on the side of the cake, and gently run the spatula across the sides, adding more frosting as you go. (This may take several minutes to do - just be patient and enjoy the process.)
Continue icing the sides until it is a uniform thickness and no brown from the cake is visible. You should have some frosting left once you are done.
Add any remaining frosting to the top of the cake, until it is well frosted.
Store the cake in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served. Be careful not to leave the cake on the counter for too long, as the icing is susceptible to melt. (It should be fine to stay out as long as you are eating, but put it right away once you're done!)
Nutritional Data
Servings: 16
Serving Size: 1/16th of cake
Calories: 601 | Protein: 5 | Carbs: 73 | Fiber: 1 | Fats: 34
Nutritional Data (Lighter Option 1 - No pecans or raisins, and with reduced fat cream cheese)
Servings: 16
Serving Size: 1/16th of cake
Calories: 523 | Protein: 4 | Carbs: 67 | Fiber: 0.4 | Fats: 28
This recipe is derived from "Incredibly Moist and Easy Carrot Cake" by Inspired Taste. I substituted the brown sugar for coconut sugar, and I completely changed the frosting recipe to make it more authentic to true cream cheese frosting. I also frost the entire cake, rather than only the middle and top.
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