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A super moist and flavorful three-layer carrot cake with a rich and fluffy cream cheese frosting, featuring fresh shredded carrots and browned butter for added depth of flavor.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 ¼ cups vegetable or canola oil
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 ¾ cups brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 cups shredded carrots (freshly shredded recommended)
  • Optional: ½ cup raisins and/or ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 16 ounces cream cheese (two 8-ounce blocks), softened
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla + 2 tsp maple extract)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 cups powdered sugar (or as needed for desired frosting thickness)
  • Chopped pecans for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined.
  4. Add eggs one at a time to wet ingredients, beating well after each addition.
  5. Stir in shredded carrots and optional raisins and/or chopped pecans if using.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches, stirring until no flour streaks remain.
  7. Evenly divide batter between prepared cake pans.
  8. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
  9. Remove cakes from oven and turn out onto cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
  10. For frosting, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. After melting, cook for 2-4 minutes until butter turns golden amber color, then remove from heat.
  11. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and browned butter together until smooth.
  12. Add vanilla and salt to cream cheese mixture and mix well.
  13. Gradually add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition until frosting is smooth, luscious, and fluffy.
  14. Assemble cake by spreading frosting over each cake layer and stacking them.
  15. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of assembled cake.
  16. Optionally, sprinkle chopped pecans over top for garnish.
  17. Store cake in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Notes

If you don’t have three cake pans, bake each layer one at a time in the same pan or bake a single sheet cake in a 12″ x 18″ x 3″ pan for about 40 minutes., Use freshly shredded carrots rather than pre-shredded to retain moisture and texture., If you lack a container large enough for storing the whole cake, place it on a large plate, insert toothpicks or skewers into the top, and loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent frosting from sticking., For variations, add ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts, extra pecans, raisins, or ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger for extra flavor., You can substitute the applesauce with ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or mashed banana for a different moist texture., For dairy-free options, use dairy-free cream cheese and vegan butter; chill frosting well before assembling., Assemble cake no more than 3-5 days before serving and keep refrigerated due to cream cheese frosting., Thaw frozen unfrosted cake layers or individual slices in the fridge overnight before frosting or serving.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/moist-easy-carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/