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Carrot Cake

A straight up, no frills, unadulterated carrot cake, balanced with a perfectly sweetened cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups finely grated carrot
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 cups icing sugar

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour the inside of a 9"x13" baking pan (or two 9" rounds). 
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, white sugar and brown sugar.
  • Stir in the vegetable oil and melted butter until well combined. 
  • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  • Stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Stir in the grated carrot and nuts. Mix until well combined. 
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pan(s) and bake for about 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

  • Beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth.
  • Add the vanilla and salt and mix until well combined.
  • Gradually add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat until well combined. 

Notes

Recipe source: Sugar Spun Run