Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist, candy, and calmly spiced, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is the meals of which candy tooth goals are made. 

Pioneer Lady Carrot Cake

For the longest time, years truly, I used to be on a hunt for the very best carrot cake recipe. Carrot cake is considered one of Sean’s favourite muffins and I attempted a number of muffins that have been good, however they simply didn’t measure as much as our expectations. We each have a tough time resisting carrot cake anytime it’s served, so the thought of creating the right carrot cake at dwelling was irresistible.

Then I discovered Ree Drummond’s carrot cake recipe and let me let you know, this child measures up. I haven’t tried one other recipe since I made this one for the primary time over ten years in the past. I make it no less than every year, generally extra usually than that.

This carrot cake is moist and candy and extremely flavorful. Traditional carrot cake usually contains pecans within the frosting, so I’ve listed them under as non-obligatory. (I hardly ever embrace nuts in my muffins and frostings, so I usually skip them when making a cake only for my household to take pleasure in.)

Easy Carrot Cake

It shouldn’t come as information to any of you that I’m not a cake decorator. Not even slightly bit. My sister and I baked this cake one time once I was visiting her and whereas the phrase “rustic” covers a large number of errors, it could be pushing it right here.

Once you’re spending time along with your sister, laughing at your errors is far more enjoyable than trying to repair them.

So long as a cake is roofed in frosting, I’m completely satisfied.

I’ve tried to power myself to care what a remaining cake appears to be like like, however even for a reasonably weblog publish, I’m simply not that lady. (You may thank my sister Jenny for the truth that she added flowers to the cake the primary time I photographed this cake and managed to make it presentable.)

My favourite muffins are nearly at all times baked in sheet pans or flipped out of a bundt pan. Jenny and I doubled the recipe and made two generously sized muffins–a layered spherical cake and a bundt cake–to serve a ton of individuals.

The recipe as written under makes a cake that’s massive sufficient to offer dessert for a mean household just a few instances over. I don’t advocate doubling it except you need to have a LOT of cake left over otherwise you’re making a cake for a giant occasion. (Not that anybody complains about additional cake!)

Can You Freeze Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting?

That’s an emphatic YES, my buddy. So, if you happen to’re as huge a fan of carrot cake as my husband is, go for it and double the recipe.

Refrigerate the cake in a single day to verify the frosting is about after which wrap both the entire cake or particular person slices hermetic in plastic wrap, adopted by aluminum foil, a zip-close bag, or an alternate container.

Greatest Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake

I can consider few cake and frosting combos extra good than carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The carrot and cinnamon taste within the cake is enhanced and heightened by the addition of creamy, candy cream cheese frosting.

There are a few methods to take pleasure in this cream cheese frosting. The primary technique is to simply unfold the thick frosting excessive of the cooled cake in no matter technique you want.

Once you frost your cake this manner, every chunk will embrace a layer of moist carrot cake and one other layer of frosting.

After I make this cake in a bundt pan, I normally flip the frosting right into a pourable glaze. By stirring heavy cream or complete milk into the cream cheese combination, you’ll create a thinner icing that’s good for pouring over an inverted bundt cake.

I like this technique for topping my muffins because it requires only a few adorning abilities and any imperfections are simply hidden.

The frosting on this unimaginable carrot cake recipe is actually among the best frostings I’ve tasted.

It has simply the correct amount of vanilla taste and powdered sugar blended in with the butter and cream cheese. I make this frosting even once I’m not making carrot cake; that’s how good it’s!

This cream cheese frosting can also be scrumptious on cinnamon rolls, spice cakes, pumpkin cupcakes, and gingerbread recipes.

If you find yourself with any leftover frosting after you make this carrot cake, it retains properly within the fridge for a few weeks. (Or go forward and dig in with a spoon, I gained’t inform.)

Traditional Carrot Cake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your pan completely with butter. (A sheet pan, a 9×13, a bundt pan or (2) 8″ rounds will all work properly.) Mix the sugar, oil, and eggs and beat till easy.
2. Whisk collectively the dry substances in a separate bowl. Slowly add to the moist and blend to mix. Add the carrots and blend once more.
3. Pour into the ready pan and bake till a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. A sheet cake must be performed in about 25 minutes, a bundt cake will take nearer to 45 minutes. Cool the cake utterly earlier than frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Carrot Cake

1. Beat the cream cheese and the butter collectively till properly mixed. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat once more till easy. Stir within the pecans, if desired.
2. When the cake is totally cool, frost as desired. If you happen to favor a glaze over a spreadable frosting, progressively add cream or milk whereas stirring always till the frosting is the specified consistency. Invert the bundt cake over a big plate and pour the glaze excessive.

Traditional Carrot Cake

Dessert is a success each time I make this recipe. Whereas different carrot muffins I made previously turned out dense, dry, or too crumbly, this one seems moist and tender with each chunk.

I’ve had some superb carrot muffins from bakeries too however I’ve to say this selfmade carrot cake recipe is the very best I’ve tasted. It makes an incredible birthday dessert or after-dinner deal with. A slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is simply good to share with a buddy over a cup of espresso within the afternoon.

I really like a great old school carrot cake with cream cheese frosting however I additionally get a kick out of different selfmade treats impressed by carrot cake. You may additionally take pleasure in these Carrot Cake Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup and these Ginger Spice Carrot Cake Cookies.

To benefit from the richness of carrot cake taste in a nourishing hearty breakfast kind, you need to strive my Carrot Cake Oatmeal. It’s nearly pretty much as good as having cake for breakfast however even higher because you get to skip the inevitable sugar crash.

One other nice carrot cake for breakfast thought is that this recipe for Carrot Cake Muffin Tops with Cream Cheese Frosting by Shugary Sweets.

initially printed 9/23/13 – recipe notes and photographs up to date 5/24/23

recipe barely tailored from and with because of The Pioneer Lady