The Best Carrot Cake You'll Ever Eat

The Best Carrot Cake You'll Ever Eat

Recipe by Matt Ciampa from tasty.co

Desserts 2 Hr. 40 Mins.

Ingredients

12

12 servings

  • nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
  • 2 lb large carrot, peeled
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon McCormick® vanilla extract
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 16 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease with nonstick spray.
  • Make the cake: Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 6 cups.
  • In a large bowl, combine the grated carrots and buttermilk and stir until the carrots are completely coated.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), combine the brown and granulated sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture drips from the whisk in ribbons, about 3 minutes.
  • With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through, if necessary. Continue mixing until the mixture is fully emulsified, about 2 minutes.
  • Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add ½ of the carrot mixture and continue mixing on low speed until incorporated. Continue alternating adding the flour and carrot mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a flat rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
  • Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and let cool completely.
  • Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, salt, and vanilla bean seeds until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until silky and smooth, about 4 minutes.
  • Assemble the cake: Dab a bit of frosting on a cake board and place a cake layer on top. Scoop 1 cup of frosting onto the cake. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers. Use the remaining frosting to coat the top of the cake completely, leaving the sides naked.
  • Slice and serve.
  • Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts

Per 12 servings

  • Calories: 744
  • Carbohydrate: 107g
  • Fat: 32g
  • Fiber: 14g
  • Protein: 10g
  • Sugar: 75g

Related Recipes

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Classic Carrot Cake

Classic Carrot Cake

Brown Butter Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting

Brown Butter Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting

Chef John's Carrot Cake

Chef John's Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

3-Layer Carrot Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

3-Layer Carrot Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Aries Cake

Aries Cake

Double Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes

Cheesecake-Stuffed Carrot Cupcakes

Cheesecake-Stuffed Carrot Cupcakes

Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Lemon Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Latte Cupcakes

Carrot Latte Cupcakes

Carrot Sheet Cake

Carrot Sheet Cake