Super Moist One Bowl Carrot Cake
A super moist carrot cake with the perfect amount of spices, topped with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting.
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Servings: 10 people
Calories: 836kcal
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins, optional
- 1/2 cup crushed pecans or hazelnuts, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces brick cream cheese, full fat, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Either grease 2 nine inch cake pans with non-stick spray, or line with parchment paper rounds. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Using either a box shredder or a food processor, shred the carrots. If using a box shredder, the carrots should look like shredded cheese when you're done. If using the food processor, process the carrots into small pieces so you don't have big chunks of carrot in your cake.
- Using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, add the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. (2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon all-spice, 1/4 teaspoon salt)
- Add the 1/2 cup of softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix until the butter breaks apart into small pieces, about a minute.
- Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing them in fully in between each addition.
- Add the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. (1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Fold in the 2 cups of shredded carrots, 1/2 cup of raisins, and 1/2 cup of nuts.
- Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven when they are done and let rest for 10 minutes before turning them out onto baking racks to cool completely. I like to wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and set them in the fridge for at least an hour. This makes frosting them easier.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- While the cakes are cooking, I like to make the frosting. First start with creaming the 8 ounces of cream cheese till it's smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the 1/2 cup of softened butter and cream together with the cream cheese.
- Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar until incorporated with the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the two tablespoons of milk/heavy cream. Add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Continue to mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you have added in all 4 cups.
- Place frosting in the fridge in a covered container until ready to use.
Assembling the Cake
- Once cakes have completely cooled down, it is time to frost them. Start by using a serrated knife to cut the tops off so they are level. (Don't throw the tops away, save them to snack on). You can also use a cake leveler to do this.
- Place one cake on a cake board and, if you have a turn table, place the cake on this. (The turn table makes it much easier to frost the cake). Add a layer of frosting on the first cake, about half a cup. Turn the other cake upside down and place on the first cake. We want to have the flat bottom of the second cake as our top layer, giving us a nice, even surface.
- Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. This is known as the 'crumb coat', and it catches all of the crumbs so when we apply our outer layer, it looks nice and clean and crumb-free.
- Once you have applied your crumb coat, place cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the frosting firm up, making it easier to apply the second coat.
- After 30 minutes, remove the cake from the fridge. Place back on the turn table and apply the second layer of frosting, using either an off-set spatula or a bench scraper. The nice thing about this cake is that you can make it look smooth or you can make it look rustic depending on how you frost it. To get the design I used for this cake, drag a fork through the frosting as you turn the turn table. Go all the way up and around the top of the cake.
- If desired, you can toast a bit of coconut in butter and add it to the top of the cake. I LOVE toasted coconut!
Notes
- Store carrot cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This cake can easily be made ahead of time. Wrap fully cooled cakes in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. They can be left on the counter, but I like my cakes cold for frosting. If you're not going to make the cakes the next day, I recommend freezing them. Place in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Likewise, the frosting can be made ahead of time as well. Store in the fridge in an airtight container overnight. You can also freeze the frosting. Just place in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- You can use pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts, or no nuts at all.
- If you don't have crushed pineapple, you can substitute with 1/2 cup of applesauce.
- Make sure you use bricks of full-fat cream cheese, not low-fat or spreadable cream cheese.
- Do not use pre-shredded carrots, they are too dry. Shred whole carrots yourself using either a box shredder or a food processor.
Nutrition
Calories: 836kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 542mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 93g | Vitamin A: 5312IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 3mg