Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

In this homemade easy moist carrot cake recipe, I’ll go over the ingredients and what they help create the final delicious cake. A moist carrot cake is the final product. Isn’t that the goal, get to dessert? This dessert will be consumed with delight on any table.

How does one create a moist carrot cake?  What if one was to substitute some of the oil with applesauce? You would get a moist cake that is a little healthier than most.

Some of the key ingredients.

Flour: All-purpose or bread flour, either will work for this recipe.  I have tried both and the results are the same…YUM!

Baking Powder: This is what is used to make the cake rise. In order to get the most out of baking powder make sure it is less than 6 months old.

Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Vanilla: Ohh my! These are what gives the cake the hint of spice. 

Oil and Applesauce: This is where some of the moistness of the cake comes from. 

Granulated sugar and light brown sugar: Gives the cake a certain richness granulated sugar alone can’t.

Carrots: Grating the carrots by hand will help release the moisture from the carrots. When grating the carrots half of the carrots will have a course setting and half will have a fine setting. This will give you a moist cake and will keep the cake together with the finely grated carrots while still allowing the course gratings to show thru when you cut into a delicious slice. If you decide to use already grated carrots from the store, the final cake may not be as moist  as grating the carrots yourself.

Frosting for this cake: Here is a great cream cheese and yogurt frosting recipe.

Ed Boettcher

Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting

Print Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 8 people

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Dry Ingredients

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2 tsp Nutmeg
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Raisins (optional)
• 3/4 cup Walnuts (optional)

Wet Ingredients

• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Applesauce
• 1 cup Canola Oil
• 1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cups Granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Finely Grated Carrots
• 1 1/2 cups Coarsely Grated Carrots

Equipment

• 1 Large 2.5 quart bowl
• 1 Medium 1.5 quart bowl
• 1 spatula
• 2 9 inch round cake pans
• 1 Electric mixer
• 1 cheese grater
• 1 Set of measuring spoons
• 1 set of measuring cups
• 1 Plate for grated carrots
• 1 Can of Non-Stick Cooking Spray (baking)

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. 1. Peel and grate carrots, ½ carrots with fine grater holes, ½ carrots with coarse grater holes. You want to finish with 1 1/2 cups of Finely Grated Carrots and 1 1/2 cups of coarsely grated carrots.
3. 2. In a large bowl combine Eggs, Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Oil, Vanilla, and Applesauce and blend well with mixer. Add Grated carrots.
4. 3. In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients: Flour, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Baking Powder, Salt, Raisins and Walnuts and mix throughly.
5. 4. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
6. 5 Pour into prepared 9 inch cake pan(s).
7. 6. Single 9 inch cake pan: Bake @ 350 Degrees F for 50-60 minutes

   Divided into 2 9 inch cake pans: Bake @ 350 Degrees F for 30-38 minutes

   Jumbo muffin tins: Bake @ 350 Degrees F for 30-34 minutes