Best Carrot Cake

It is carrot cake season! This week I have the feeling that I ate carrot cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had a big carrot cake last weekend for Jack's birthday, followed by a few more cakes made (and consumed) while making this post. I'd say I'm out of carrot, but we really like carrot cake! We even had it during our wedding because it is once Jack's favorite thing.

This carrot cake recipe is based on my mom's. Her secret ingredient is apple sauce, making the cake super moist. For the glaze it is even healthy, but with its rich texture and perfectly seasoned taste, you wouldn't know it.

Key ingredients in My Carrot Cake Recipe:

1. 
   Many carrots! The cake itself is not overly sweet, so the taste of the carrot really shines.


2. 
   Wholemeal flour is exchanged for traditional all-purpose flour. Ground from soft wheat berries, whole-grain pastry flour has more nutrients than regular white flour, but it's great for giving baked goods a light, fluffy texture. If you do not have wholemeal flour, you can use a 50/50 mix of white and plain wholemeal flour.


3. 
   Maple syrup takes the place of granulated sugar, making this recipe for carrot cake refined sugar-free.


4. 
   Apple sauce adds moisture and a little sweetness.


5. 
   Coconut oil step in as a healthier alternative to butter. You can also use olive oil or neutral oil if you want.

How do I make Carrot Cake - My best tips & tricks!

Since I married Jack, I have a lot of experience with making carrot cake. Here are my tips & tricks for making the best carrot cake around:

1. 
   Finely grate your carrots. Finely grated roots merge seamlessly into the moist, spiced cake, while larger pieces create a less uniform texture. Finely grate your carrots for light, fluffy and cohesive cake slices!


2. 
   Do not over mix. This rule applies to baked products across the board, but it applies here. Mix your batter until the net is combined - and no longer - to avoid making a dense cake.


3. 
   Allow your cake to cool completely before you glaze it. Yes, this is a simple recipe for carrot pies, but there is a difficult part: wait until it cools down! If you don't, the cake will melt and absorb the frosting, and you won't get that thick, perfect layer on the outside.

Carrot Cake variations

Choose your cake size. The recipe below makes:

• a 9-inch round cake (pictured)
  


• a square 8 × 8 cake
  


• a 2-layer cake using two 6-inch cake pans (also pictured)

Optional mix-ins:

I live with a real carrot cake lover (Jack) and if he has taught me anything, it is that carrot cake can be a personal matter. If you like your cake with chopped walnuts or raisins, feel free to fold ½-1 cup into the batter. Or, if you are someone who likes carrot cake with coconut, fold ½ cup in the batter or sprinkle the shredded coconut over the frozen cake.

The Frosting:

You can make the frosting recipe below with regular or vegan cream cheese, although the regular version is stiffer and better to pile between the layers if you make a layer cake. Another good dairy-free glaze option is the cashew maple glaze from this recipe, which is more like a glaze. Of course this cake is also delicious on its own without frosting!

If you are a carrot cake fanatic, try to make it breakfast cookies or this one energy balls next one. Or if you just love cake, this chocolate cake, this one Lemon Cake, and this zucchini cake are all delicious.

Best Carrot Cake

Print

Preparation time

25 minutes

cooking time

38 minutes

Total time

1 hour 3 minutes

The absolute best recipe for carrot cake! It is moist, it is easy and it is also healthy, made with apple sauce, wholemeal flour and maple syrup.

Writer: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: dessert

Portions: 10-12

ingredients

• 2¼ cups of whole wheat flour


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon


• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg


• 1 teaspoon of sea salt


• 2 large eggs


• ½ cup apple sauce


• ½ cup of maple syrup


• ½ cup almond milk, at room temperature


• ½ cup melted coconut oil


• 2 teaspoons vanilla


• 2 cups finely grated carrots

glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese (or vegan cream cheese - I used Kite Hill)


• 1½ tablespoons butter or vegan butter, slightly softened


• 2 cups powdered sugar, more if a stiffer icing is desired


• ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F and grease a 9-inch round pan, 8x8 square pan or two 6-inch round pans.


2. Beat the flour, baking powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.


3. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and beat in the apple sauce, maple syrup, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Stir in the carrots.


4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and stir until just combined.


5. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 35 to 38 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before the frosting.


6. Make the glaze: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Note: If you make a layer cake, you can let the frosting layer and the cakes cool down so that the frosting remains firm during the application of layers.

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