Delightful Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 🥕
A wonderfully moist and flavorful homemade carrot cake, perfectly spiced and loaded with fresh carrots, raisins, and pecans, topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
- Wire Rack
- Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 medium carrots grated
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup pecans crushed
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 9x5 inch loaf pan by lightly coating it with non-stick spray, then lining it with parchment paper for super easy cake removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until everything is nicely combined. Set this aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, gently beat the eggs and sugar until they're smooth. Then, slowly stir in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract until everything is fully blended.
- Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to your wet ingredients. Mix just until combined – don't overmix to keep your cake wonderfully tender.
- With a spatula, gently fold in the fresh grated carrots, sweet raisins, and crunchy pecans.
- Pour the lovely batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. This step is super important before you frost!
- While your cake chills, prepare the creamy frosting! In a mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream (or milk), and vanilla extract. Beat until it's wonderfully smooth and creamy. For an extra light frosting, you can sift the powdered sugar first. If you like a thinner frosting, just add a tiny bit more cream or milk.
- Once the cake is completely cool, spread that luscious cream cheese frosting evenly over the top. Feel free to sprinkle a few extra pecans for a lovely finish. Slice, serve, and savor your incredibly moist and flavorful homemade carrot cake!
Notes
Nutrition Information (estimated per serving):
- Calories: ~380
- Total Carbs: ~50g (Net Carbs: ~45g)
- Fats: ~23g
- Protein: ~5g
