Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by Laura Frerichs, Tastemaker in Residence

This is our go-to simple carrot cake recipe. We always top with cream cheese frosting: cream cheese, butter, honey and vanilla whipped together. Can’t go wrong! If we have a little more time and ambition, we make the best carrot cake recipe ever: Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from David Lebovitz.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. vegetable oil

3 large eggs

11/2 cups finely grated peeled carrots

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, lightly drained (optional)

Instructions

1. Grease and flour your baking pan (two round pans or a 9” cake pan). Add parchment paper to bottom of pan if desired.

2. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Add and stir together well with a rubber spatula or beat on low speed: oil and eggs Stir in: carrots, walnuts, raisins and pineapple.

3. Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes in round or square pans, 30-35 minutes in a 13x9-inch pan. Let cool in the pan(s) on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan(s). Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner(s), if using.

4. Let cool right side up on the rack. Fill and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Via Joy of Cooking cookbook.