Carrot cake is a classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Its moist and flavorful crumb is made with grated carrots, which add natural sweetness and a beautiful orange hue. The cake is often topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, which complements the carrot flavor perfectly. In this article, you'll find two delicious recipes for carrot cake: one with a traditional cream cheese frosting and one with a decadent pecan frosting. Both cakes are easy to make and sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
The traditional cream cheese frosting is made with cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract. It is smooth, creamy, and slightly tangy, and it pairs perfectly with the sweet carrot cake. The pecan frosting is made with butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract. It is rich, buttery, and full of pecan flavor, and it adds a delicious crunch to the carrot cake.
Whether you choose the traditional cream cheese frosting or the decadent pecan frosting, you're sure to enjoy this classic dessert. So gather your ingredients and preheat your oven, because it's time to bake a carrot cake!
CARROT CAKE WITH PECAN FROSTING
My husband constantly requests this homey, old-fashioned version of carrot cake. The frosting is still tasty even without the pecans. -Adrian Badon, Denham Springs, Louisiana
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h15m
Yield 16 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper., In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pineapple. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in carrots., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in pecans., Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 557 calories, Fat 27g fat (10g saturated fat), Cholesterol 72mg cholesterol, Sodium 358mg sodium, Carbohydrate 74g carbohydrate (57g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 6g protein.
AWESOME CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This straightforward recipe delivers moist, dense, and delicious carrot cake with pineapple under a cream cheese frosting.
Provided by Tracy Kirk
Categories Desserts Frostings and Icings Cream Cheese
Time 1h40m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, combine grated carrots, flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in eggs, oil, 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, pineapple and 3/4 cup chopped pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, Neufchatel cheese, 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until smooth, then stir in 1 cup chopped pecans. Spread on cooled cake.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 369.2 calories, Carbohydrate 46.5 g, Cholesterol 48.3 mg, Fat 19.6 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 4 g, SaturatedFat 5.5 g, Sodium 259.8 mg, Sugar 36.3 g
OLD-FASHIONED CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
A pleasingly moist cake, this treat is the one I requested that my mom make each year for my birthday. It's dotted with sweet carrots and a hint of cinnamon. The fluffy buttery frosting is scrumptious with chopped walnuts stirred in. One piece of this homemade carrot cake is never enough-better than all the other carrot cakes recipes I've tried!-Kim Orr, West Grove, Pennsylvania
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h5m
Yield 16 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and oil. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat into egg mixture. Stir in carrots., Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in another large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired spreading consistency. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting for decorating if desired. If desired, stir walnuts into remaining frosting. , Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. If decorating the cake, tint 1/4 cup reserved frosting orange and 1/4 cup green. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round pastry tip. Fill the bag with orange frosting. Pipe twelve carrots on top of cake, so each slice will have a carrot. Using #67 leaf pastry tip and the green frosting, pipe a leaf at the top of each carrot. , Store cake in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 531 calories, Fat 28g fat (7g saturated fat), Cholesterol 67mg cholesterol, Sodium 203mg sodium, Carbohydrate 68g carbohydrate (54g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 5g protein.
CARROT CAKE WITH PECAN CREAM FILLING AND CREAM CHEESE ICING
You have to start this the day before you plan to serve it as the Pecan Cream Filling needs refrigeration time. A great variation on the usual carrot cake as this is made in a tube pan and split into layers. I found this treasure back a few years in a cute little cookbook called "Beat This".
Provided by SharleneW
Categories Dessert
Time 1h35m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- For Pecan Cream Filling: A day before you make the cake, blend the sugar, flour and salt in a heavy saucepan.
- Gradually stir in the cream.
- Add the butter.
- Cook and stir the mixture over low heat until the butter has melted; then let simmer 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Cool to lukewarm.
- Stir in the pecans and vanilla.
- Let the mixture cool completely.
- Refrigerate it overnight.
- If it is too thick to spread, bring it to room temperature before using.
- For Carrot Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the corn oil and the sugar.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Sift half the dry ingredients into the oil-sugar mixture, then blend well.
- Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix well.
- Add the carrots and pecans and mix again. (If you like raisins in your cake, feel free to throw some in now).
- Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan.
- Bake for 70 minutes, or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool upright, in the pan, on a rack.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the icing.
- Icing: Cream together the butter and cream cheese until well blended and fluffy.
- Sift in the confectioners' sugar.
- Cream again. Then beat in the vanilla and the salt. If the icing is too soft to spread, chill it for a few minutes.
- Refrigerate it if you don't plan to use it right away, but bring it back to room temperature before using.
- Assembly: Run knife around inside of pan to loosen cake.
- Invert onto serving plate.
- With a long serrated knife, carefully split the cake into 3 horizontal layers.
- Spread the filling between the layers. (You may not need it all).
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with the icing.
Tips:
- To ensure the smoothest carrot cake batter, use a food processor to grate the carrots. This will also help to evenly distribute the carrots throughout the batter, resulting in a more consistent cake texture.
- For a richer, more flavorful carrot cake, use dark brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- To prevent the cake from becoming too dry, add a cup of crushed pineapple to the batter. The pineapple will help to keep the cake moist and flavorful.
- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using.
- For a delicious twist on the classic carrot cake, add a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter.
- Be sure to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This will help to incorporate air into the batter, resulting in a lighter, more tender cake.
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in a tough, dense cake.
- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Overbaking can dry out the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. This will help to prevent the frosting from melting.
- For a creamier frosting, use a combination of cream cheese and butter.
- To make the frosting easier to spread, let it come to room temperature before using.
- If you're short on time, you can use a store-bought cream cheese frosting instead of making your own.
Conclusion:
Carrot cake is a delicious and versatile dessert that can be enjoyed year-round. With a few simple tips, you can easily make a carrot cake that is moist, flavorful, and sure to impress your friends and family. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a beginner, I encourage you to give this carrot cake recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!
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