Are you looking for the perfect cake? Literally perfect. Without flaws. Amazing. Tender. Moist. Heavenly. Flavorful. Sweet. Fluffy and dense all at once. Healthy(ish =). Wowing. Decadent. Stunning. Pleases young and old alike. Then here it is! I love this cake! And I can brag it up like that because it’s not my recipe, if it were my own then it would be a bit tacky to brag so much. I’ve been making this cake for years and have no desire to find a new carrot cake recipe, ever. This carrot cake turns carrot cake haters into carrot cake lovers. Believe it or not I didn’t used to like carrot cake and now because of this cake, it is my favorite! You have to try this cake. Thank you allrecipes.com for another incredible recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3 cups lightly packed finely grated carrots*
- 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 9" round cake pans with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two side. Grease foil and dust with flour, set aside. (This cake can also be made in a 9x13 dish just increase baking time to 40 - 50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, I have even halved the recipe and baked it in and 8x8 dish).
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, combine vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla. Slowly stir in dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in grated carrots. Divide mixture evenly into 2 prepared cake pans. Bake cakes in preheat oven for 35-39 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in cake dishes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Lift cakes out of pan with foil overhang and allow to cool on wire rack completely before frosting (once cool I cut about 1/4" off the tops to even them out before frosting, you'll notice the centers don't rise as high as the rest). Flip cakes upside down when frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Store cake in airtight container.
- *Grate carrots on small grate of a grater. This is usually 6-7 medium carrots.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in powdered sugar and mix until well combine.
- Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Lisa: I’m always on the lookout for another good carrot cake recipe. I like that this one has applesauce instead of more oil. Pinning it. Hope you’ll come by and link up some treats to Sweets for a Saturday. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweets-for-saturday-50.html January 1, 2012 at 7:23pm
Made in Sonoma: I bet that is SO tasty! It looks delicious! January 4, 2012 at 10:24pm
Ari: This is definitely jumping to the top of my “have-to-make” list. Looks delicious!!! Your frosting job is lovely March 27, 2012 at 2:26pm
Jaclyn: Ari – thanks so much! I hope you make it soon =), I just had it again last week. I pretty much have it once a month. Its my favorite! March 27, 2012 at 4:40pm
Galexi Cupcakes: I was looking all over the blogosphere for an amazing carrot cake and then I saw your recipe and you sold me. I’m making this weekend for Easter Sunday. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you for sharing, Jackie April 2, 2012 at 7:39am
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel: I’m not a baker, but I may need to make a carrot cake just so I can frost it like this… ADORABLE!! Such a great idea! July 10, 2012 at 1:18pm
Kathryn: Very nice looking cake going to try it for New Years. I hope it tastes as good as it looks : ) December 24, 2012 at 6:42pm
Jaclyn: It does indeed taste just as good =), I hope you enjoy! December 24, 2012 at 7:32pm
Easter Desserts | Today's Every Mom: [...] you like carrot cake then its kind of a must have at Easter!! Click HERE for the [...] March 24, 2013 at 8:56pm
Megan: Any idea how many standard cupcakes this recipe will make? March 25, 2013 at 3:02pm
Jaclyn: My sister made these as cupcakes once and she said they sank in the middle and didnt turn out so I’ve never attempted to bake it as cupcakes. The cakes sink just slightly in the center but I guess the cupcakes sink more. I’d maybe recommend checking the link on the recipe to see if anyone on allrecipes has made them into cupcakes with success and if so how many. March 26, 2013 at 8:29pm
Lauren: Wow, made this cake yesterday. It was amazing! Very moist and I loved the addition of applesauce to cut out some of the oil. I added close to 4 cups of shredded carrots and it was the perfect amount. Used the browned butter frosting recipe from your carrot bars and increased it a bit to make enough for a layer cake. It was the perfect Easter dessert for our family. Thanks so much for the great recipe! April 1, 2013 at 8:51am
Jaclyn: You’ve very welcome Lauren, so glad you enjoyed! April 2, 2013 at 6:44pm
Sarah: You weren’t lying! I made this cake for Easter this weekend and everyone LOVED it. I’ve been hoarding the leftovers to bring with me to work over the past few days. I honestly think it might be the best carrot cake I’ve ever tried (including those I’ve gotten at bakeries). Another winning recipe! April 2, 2013 at 12:28pm
Jaclyn: Sarah I’m so excited to hear you loved it!! Thanks so much for leaving a comment! I have the hoarding problem with this cake too =). April 2, 2013 at 2:19pm
Carla: Hi. About how tall does this cake come out to? I was thinking of adding a cheesecake layer in the middle and I’m hoping it won’t come out to be too towering on the table. April 26, 2013 at 10:58am
Jaclyn: It’s actually not that tall as it doesn’t rise a whole lot and it’s a fairly thick cake. I think you’d be okay to add in one more layer. I hope you enjoy! April 26, 2013 at 12:37pm
Milli: Hey Jacyln, I really LOVE your blog and I could waste hundreds of hours with drooling over your awesome pictures! :)
But I have a question: How does your carrot cake turn out so nice and dark? I have tried several recipes and I am really happy with the taste but they are way to light in appearance. What am I doing wrong? April 27, 2013 at 7:43am
Jaclyn: Hi Milli! I used to wish mine would be lighter because the outside is always dark :). I don’t think your doing anything wrong it’s just the recipes your trying I’d think. This is a random guess but I think the amount of baking soda in this recipe may help with its darker color (it’s way over leavened but it turns out fine as a cake – as cupcakes the centers sink a bit. Normally the rule is you only need 1/4 tsp of baking soda per cup of flour). I’d highly recommend this recipe though it’s my favorite carrot cake :). Thanks so much for your nice compliment! May 3, 2013 at 11:49pm