A super delicious and fragrant carrot spice cake

What screams more like an Easter baking than a delicious, flavorful, fluffy Carrot Spice Cake? However, this recipe will be a perfect Autumn season. Why this Carrot cake is so perfect?! Because it is loaded with carrots, nuts, and different spices.

About This Carrot Spice Cake

This recipe is very easy to make, with no fancy ingredients!
The combination of the flavours and the spices creates a warm and decadent flavour.
This cake is frosted with creamy and smooth Cream Cheese Frosting, which adds to the cake's unique flavour. Carrot cake goes with cream cheese frosting very well, and that is a traditional combination, but this Carrot Spice Cake pairs really well with other frostings, such as American Buttercream.
In this post, I am using two 8-inch pans, but this recipe can be adapted to three 6-inch pans too.

This recipe contains pecans, which can be substituted with walnuts or hazelnuts.
Using raisins is totally optional, but it adds more texture and flavour to the cake.
I am using all kinds of spices in the recipe, including cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, and I highly recommend using them all for that extra goodness!
Adding chopped pineapple is another option to add some more texture and a slightly sour flavour.

How To Make This Carrot Spice Cake

Mix all the dry ingredients, including all the spices, first in a separate bowl.
Whisk the oil, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract using a stand mixer set with the paddle attachment or hand mixer. Take your time with this step, and beat it for a good 2 minutes.
Now it's time to add the eggs. One at a time and whisk after each addition. Whisk well.

See the Carrot Whoopie Pie Recipe Here

Add the dry ingredients in three parts and incorporate it with a rubber spatula. Be very gentle, and DO NOT OVERMIX.
What is a carrot cake without carrots? In a large bowl, toss the carrots, pecans, and raisins with one tablespoon of flour.
Set the oven to 400F for the first 10 minutes, then bring the oven temperature down to 350F and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. Make sure the insert comes out clean before removing it from the oven.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to the cooling rack.

About The Frosting

The list of ingredients goes as follows: Room-temperature cream cheese, Room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Let's talk about the cream cheese a bit. Cream cheese in any recipe should be at room temperature. This includes cheesecakes, frosting, etc. The softer the cream cheese, the creamier the result will be with no lumps. I put my cream cheese out of the fridge the night before.
One important note about this ingredient is always to use the bar cream cheese, not the tub. Tub cream cheese is a breakfast spread and not suitable for frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Make sure to sift the powdered sugar to prevent any lumpy result.
I prefer clear vanilla extract to have a bright frosting, but pure vanilla extract is fine.
The SECRET to a creamy and stable Cream Cheese Frosting is not to mix the cream cheese and the powdered sugar first. Adding the sugar first makes the frosting soft and runny, and that is because the water content in the sugar adds moisture to the cheese.

How To Make The Mini Carrots For Decoration

These Mini Carrots are made of royal icing that I have tinted in orange and brown.
The ingredients you need to make royal icing include Powdered sugar, water, Meringue Powder, vanilla extract, and Cream of Tartar if your Meringue Powder does not have it as one of the ingredients.
Meringue powder is a substitute for egg white, and it is a stabilizer.
Sift the powdered sugar in your mixing bowl and set aside.
In a measuring cup, whisk the water, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and cream of Tartar, if using.
Using the paddle attachment, add the wet ingredients to the powdered sugar.
Once the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer on high for about a minute.

Tint a small amount of the royal icing in orange colour and some in dark brown for the stems. You can make the stems in green if you like.
Draw some carrot shapes, about 15, on a white piece of paper. Tape the paper to your working table or counter. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the paper and tape the wax paper.
Fill a piping bag with the orange royal icing, and cut the tip with scissors. The cut can be as large as 3mm.
Start piping over the lines of the carrots you drew. You can fully fill up the carrot shape or make lines, as I did in this post.
Let the icing dry for an hour, then lift them with a butter knife and place them on the side of the frosted cake.

See more relevant recipes here;

Blueberry Orange Coffee Cake,

Apple Cider Bundt Cake With Toffee Glaze

Disclaimer: I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.

IF YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE AND LIKED IT, LEAVE ME A STAR REVIEW.

📖 Recipe

Carrot Spice Cake

A super delicious and fragrant carrot spice cake

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 786 kcal

Ingredients

For The Carrot Cake

2 cups All-purpose flour, Spooned and leveled
1½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Vegetable oil, Any un-scented oil will work
¼ cup Butter, Room temperature
2 cups Granulated sugar
½ cup Raisins
1 cup Pecans, Chopped
3 cups Carrots, Peeled & grated
1 tablespoon All-purpose flour, For tossing
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ginger
¼ teaspoon Clove
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon All spice
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
4 Eggs, Room temperature

For The Frosting

16 Ounce Cream cheese, Room temperature
1 cup Butter, Room temperature
3-4 cups Powdered sugar, Sifted
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

For The Royal Icing Mini Carrots

4¼ cups Powdered sugar, Sifted
6 tablespoon Water
2½ tablespoon Meringue Powder
½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar, If your meringue powder doesn't have it in the ingredients.
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3-4 drops Orange and brown gel food colouring

Instructions

How To Make The Cake

Preheat oven to 400, grease 2X8-inch or 3X6 inch round cake pans, flour the bottom and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger until well blended.
2 cups All-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ginger, ¼ teaspoon Clove, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon All spice, ½ teaspoon Baking powder
In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 3-4 min.
1 cup Vegetable oil, ¼ cup Butter, 2 cups Granulated sugar, 4 Eggs, 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, gently stirring until combined and the batter is smooth.
2 cups All-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ginger, ¼ teaspoon Clove, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon All spice
Mix the grated carrots, raisins, and chopped pecans In a separate bowl. Sprinkle one tablespoon of flour over them and toss them.
½ cup Raisins, 1 cup Pecans, 3 cups Carrots, 1 tablespoon All-purpose flour
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 10 minutes, bring the oven temperature down to 350℉, and bake them for another 30-35 minutes, until the tops of the cake layers are springy and an insert comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

How To Make The Frosting

Using the paddle attachment or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until creamy and broken.
16 Ounce Cream cheese
Add the room-temperature butter and mix well for about minutes. Do Not Overmix.
1 cup Butter
Add the sifted powdered sugar, ¼ quarter at a time, and mix well after each addition.
3-4 cups Powdered sugar
Add the vanilla extract and mix. Decorate the cool cake.
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

How To Make The Mini Carrots

Sift the powdered sugar in your mixing bowl and set aside.
4¼ cups Powdered sugar
In a measuring cup, whisk the water, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and cream of Tartar, if using.
6 tablespoon Water, 2½ tablespoon Meringue Powder, ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Using the paddle attachment, add the wet ingredients to the powdered sugar.
Once the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer on high for about a minute.
3-4 drops Orange and brown gel food colouring
Tint a small amount of the royal icing in orange colour and some in dark brown for the stems. You can make the stems in green if you like.
Draw some carrot shapes, about 15, on a white piece of paper. Tape the paper to your working table or counter. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the paper and tape the wax paper.
Fill a piping bag with the orange royal icing, and cut the tip with scissors. The cut can be as large as 3mm. Start piping over the lines of the carrots you drew. You can fully fill up the carrot shape or make lines, as I did in this post.
Let the icing dry for an hour, then lift them with a butter knife and place them on the side of the frosted cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 786kcalCarbohydrates: 137gProtein: 8gFat: 58gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 665mgPotassium: 312mgFiber: 3gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 6529IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg

Keyword CAKE, CARROT CAKE, MOIST CAKE, SPICE CAKE

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