Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Two dense, oil-based layers under a frosting tangy enough to keep the sweetness honest.
- Serves
- 12
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl.
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Beat the oil and sugar together until the mixture lightens in color, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet just until no streaks remain, then fold in the carrots and walnuts.
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Divide the batter between two greased 9-inch cake pans and bake at 350°F until a skewer comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
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Cool the layers in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.
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Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy and no lumps remain.
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Spread frosting between the layers, over the top, and around the sides.
Notes
Grate the carrots yourself rather than buying them pre-shredded — bagged carrots are drier and cut into stiffer shreds that don’t break down in the batter, leaving the cake gummy in patches instead of evenly moist. And don’t rush the cooling: frosting a layer that’s even slightly warm turns the whole thing into a landslide.
Walnuts are traditional here but not load-bearing — leave them out for a nut allergy, or swap in pecans if that’s what’s in the pantry. The cake is better the day after it’s made, once the layers have had time to absorb some of the frosting; keep it refrigerated and let it sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.