I was surprised to learn that there is a day dedicated to the celebration of the carrot cake. February 3rd of each year is just that day. Not sure who made the first declaration but I’m always onboard for a celebration. I wanted to share this recipe for some time so this was the perfect excuse.

This recipe is based on a recipe by Cookies & Cups. And while the recipe suggests it could be made as a snacking cake, it is presented as a traditional layered cake. Either version is delicious. My sister is the one to discover the original recipe and she has mostly made it for potlucks and work parties as a snacking cake in a 9″ x 13″ pan. It is more portable and easier to share with a large group.

What we like about this recipe

Besides being delicious, one of the best things about this cake is it is all made in one bowl. There is no mixing of the wet and dry ingredients separately or combining them in a specified wet-dry alternating method. And while the cake is baking, you wash the bowl and it is ready for making the frosting.

The ingredient prep is also very easy. The biggest effort is grating the carrots – I highly recommend not using pre-shredded carrots. And if you have a food processor for grating, it’s even easier (but I don’t think it’s worth having to wash the food processor for this little effort).

Tips and substitutions

• As mentioned above, resist the urge to use pre-shredded carrots. By the time you use them, they’ve lost a lot of the moisture that you want in this cake.
• Substitute regular raisins for golden raisins
• Substitute pecans for walnuts
• To balance out the sweetness, we added a pinch (½ teaspoon) of salt to the cake batter.
• To dial back on the sweetness, we used only 4 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting instead of 5 cups. But if you like your frosting very sweet, add the extra cup back in.

Carrot Snacking Cake

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• Author: Cookies & Cups (modified)
• Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
• Yield: 24 1x

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Description

This one-bowl carrot cake is moist and flavorful and is topped with a sweet and decadent cream cheese frosting. It is great for pot lucks or can be baked into small loaves for gifting.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cake

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1¼ cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups all purpose flour

2¾ cups grated carrots, approximately 2 large*

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

¾ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup golden raisins

For the frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (1 block), room temperature

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)

For garnish

Chopped candied ginger, optional

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Instructions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9″ × 13″ pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix both sugars, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla together on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute.

Add in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and continue mixing for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Mix in the flour on low speed until just combined.

Add in the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and golden raisins and stir until evenly incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

For the frosting

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the cream cheese and butter (and salt if using unsalted butter) together on medium speed until combined.

With mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar.

Once incorporated, turn the speed up to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. You want the frosting completely smooth without any lumps of powdered sugar.

Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to firm up the frosting before cutting into squares. To serve, garnish with candied ginger (optional).

Notes

View the original recipe from Cookies & Cups

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Inactive Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Cakes
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Calories: 418
• Sugar: 43 g.
• Sodium: 210 mg.
• Fat: 22 g.
• Saturated Fat: 7 g.
• Carbohydrates: 54 g.
• Fiber: 2 g.
• Protein: 4 g.
• Cholesterol: 51 mg.

Keywords: carrot, cream cheese, golden raisins, walnuts