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.

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