How to Make the Perfect Carrot Cake
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No superfluous spices. No random extra fruits or nuts. This uncluttered, purely delectable, perfect carrot cake sparkles with earthly, spicy, carrot flavor supported by light citrus and ginger. To finish, the whole cake is enrobed in a silky cream cheese frosting hinting at the flavors inside.
This recipe was originally posted on February 17, 2020, but is being updated as of June 21, 2021 to improve the batter method and to further declutter it for pure carroty goodness.
The First Time I Made This Cake…
In 2015, I was fresh to blogging and my mother-in-law gifted me with a subscription to Food Network Magazine. In short, that’s how I came by the original recipe in the first place.
The day I was set to make it, my husband agreed to babysit our little nephew. So, we waited until he was napping to make this cake as quietly as possible.
So, yes, this is probably easier to make with a stand mixer. However, it’s also totally doable with a big bowl, a whisk, and a rubber spatula. And, if like me, you have a sleeping toddler on your couch, just feet from the kitchen, it’s a heck of a lot quieter.
What Makes This the Perfect Carrot Cake?
However you mix it, this perfect carrot cake is just totally delicious. It’s a very ginger and citrus-oriented cake, which highlights the earthy, spiciness of fresh-from-the-ground carrots.
And it’s all enrobed with this silky cream cheese frosting that I would eat off the floor like Chandler, Rachel, and Joey with their neighbor’s cheesecake.
Where Are All the Usual Extras?
If you’re looking for nuts, raisins, coconut, or pineapple, they’re not here. The only “extras” are the ginger and orange.
No, I wouldn’t add any other fruits, and here’s why. There’s just no need. Coconut may add texture, but it doesn’t boost the flavor. It usually just gets lost.
Raisins are chewy, and sometimes that is nice. But they are also pretty sweet.
As for pineapple, my husband’s not a fan so it’s usually out. For me, though, I just didn’t want to add excess moisture to this cake. Plus, when there’s too much, it usually leads to overmixing to get the juices combined, which in turn leads to a holey, dense, overly chewy texture with pockets of wet, mushy pineapple. No thank you.
Decorative Options and Frosting Flourishes
The original FN recipe had an extra 2 cups of toasted walnuts for encrusting along the sides. I have left that off in the past because it’s a lot of nuts. They’re not that expensive, but they aren’t cheap either.
I also decided to completely leave the nuts out going forward because they didn’t really do anything for me. If you’re like me, you’re not a fan of overly nutty mouthfuls of cake. It’s all about what you like, though. So, let’s talk about some options for you to make this cake gorgeous for your Easter table.
Decorating Your Perfect Carrot Cake
The perfect cake is all about your preferences, right? So, what looks pretty to you? And what are you good at?
Maybe the nutty edging is your vibe. Go for it.
You could also shred a little extra carrot and dust the bits with a little sparkling sugar. Create a small border of lovely crystallized carrots.
Since ginger plays a lot of powerful supporting notes in this perfect carrot cake, consider using crystallized ginger to decorate. Use small pieces to avoid overpowering the rest of the great flavors in the cake.
Flourishes of Decorative Frosting
If you love great decorative piping, consider adding some frosting flourishes!
Make a 1.5 or double batch of the frosting. Set aside two small bowls of frosting and color them orange and green to pipe some cute little carrots along the sides, or wherever your creativity takes you.
Leave the frosting white, and just do some elegant scrolls or fun dot work. A monochrome-styled cake works great with every color scheme and is great for a formal dinner.
Not great at piping? Cool. Me neither (can you tell?). Lately, my favorite cake decorating technique has been from Bon Appetit. I first included a link to the video on my Chocolate Cake recipe, but it’s above as well.
You simply layer on the frosting, nice and thick. Then, with the back of a spoon, lightly swoop in an out of it, creating waves and peaks. Play until you’re happy!
Tips for Serving Up Your Perfect Carrot Cake
First things first, we need to talk about proper pan preparation. This recipe would be fine for a 9×13 pan, but it’s intended to be spread between two 9-inch round cake pans to make a layered cake. Make sure you prep right.
Start with Pan Prep
As with the same chocolate cake mentioned above, I’ve previously explained my favorite way to line a round pan. It’s pretty easy. You’ll fold up a square of parchment paper into a tiny wedge, and then cut it to the radius of your pan.
When you unfold it, you have a custom round that fits right into the bottom of the pan. Grease the pan before and smooth the paper down so there are no bubbles. Grease over the paper too. Make sure you’ve gotten the sides! This is the key to getting your cake out of the pan with ease.
A Great Setting
When you get to the part where you’re ready to frost, make sure you have a nice setting for your cake. I have a cake stand that one of my friends got us for our wedding.
Sometimes, though, a plain white plate is great, too. That’s why, you’ll notice, I took pictures of both this and the chocolate cake on one.
So, on what do you want to serve your cake? A pedestal can make it a centerpiece, elevated over the rest of the meal. Or a nice simple plate just lets your cake be its own fabulous self.
Clean Cuts for a Perfect Slice
Finally, how do you get a perfect slice for every guest? Easy. A cold cake and a warm, clean, sharp knife! If you can, keep that cake in the fridge until you’re absolutely ready to serve it. This helps the frosting to set up a little bit.
Now, a warm, clean, sharp knife is truly the key. Make the first decisive cut straight down the middle. Clean your knife after every cut. Crusted on crumbs and frosting are the enemy of a clean cut.
It definitely helps to know how many slices you need to make before you start. You might even use the knife to create some demarcation lines so everyone gets an equal slice.
And don’t forget: the first slice is hardly ever perfect! I usually keep that one for myself, so I make sure it’s a nice big slice. Haha!
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Perfect Carrot Cake
Equipment
- 2 9-inch round pans
- Large mixing bowl
- Large whisk
- Cooling rack
- Offset spatula, piping bags, and piping tips for frosting
Ingredients
Perfect Carrot Cake Recipe
- Cooking Spray
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups grated carrots
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 brick cream cheese room temperature
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Perfect Carrot Cake
- To start, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 2 9-in round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and salt onto a large paper plate.
- Beat together orange zest, fresh grated ginger, granulated sugar and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl with a whisk. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the apple sauce and vanilla. Gently stir in the carrots. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, but only mix until smooth and combined. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool. If you aren't frosting until the next day, wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge.
Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
- For the frosting, begin by whipping the cream cheese and butter for 5 minutes until very fluffy. Add in ginger, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
- Then slowly add in your powdered sugar.
- Place the first layer of cake on your serving dish, rounded side down. Spread ½ cup of frosting on top, thickly. Place the second cake on top, rounded side down. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Use your preferred frosting method to make it pretty.
