Very moist and a lovely texture. Amazing! I actually halved it though and made 12 cupcakes instead. I halved the recipe with no problems to report, although I filled the cupcake liners nearly to the top as not to waste any batter and the 14-18 mins was not enough time to get them fully done. It makes frosting wetter. making this again today. (The layers are best cut cold so your knife doesn’t bite into the soft cake when it is fresh and might tear.) Bottom line: they’ll be delicious but not pretty. Turned out great! I’m being spectacularly annoying here. (That’s what I usually use.) Or…. I found these to be not quite carrot-y enough and a little too laden with spices to be my ideal carrot cake…however, taken as something a bit different, they’re just fantastic! It’s a keeper!!:)). Sort of good. I am trying to convert this recipe for larger pans and would like to know how much I need to scale it by. Hi Deb, I know it’s cheeky to ask but could you post this with weight measurements? Thanks. Re: pineapple. I read so many carrot cake recipes and glad I settled here. I made this yesterday as a half recipe (one layer cake). And I’m sure there will be a next time! Plus, on a rack, it’s better at cooling because cool air will be underneath it too. I’m in the process of moving from France to the US and am trying to use up food in my pantry. I would like to make this as a 12″ cake (one of them), how can I adapt this recipe for a 12″ cake? I am about to make it again today, for probably the fifteenth or so time, for a dear friend’s birthday, so I had to leave a comment to say THANK YOU! I skipped on the nuts since the birthday boy isn’t a big fan of nuts but loves carrot cake, and used a different cream cheese frosting recipe since I wasn’t sure people would love the maple (and real maple syrup’s not easy to find in Florida.) This is truly outstanding. Well, it was a hit. I made this cake last night and I wondered if there is a mistake in the amount of baking soda. Yes, baking recipes always have to be adjusted for high-altitude. How did it turn out? (recipe notes for next time – my veggie oil weighed 200 grams, my layers baked perfectly in 15 minutes, and I’d do 8″ layers because I like a little more thickness in cake layers). I am throwing a bridal shower for my vegan sister-in-law and would love to include your carrot cake (it is so good! Ugh! How did you grate them? Hi Lisa — See Commenters #106 and #252, who did so successfully with notes. A good carrot cake must have some bits and bops like chopped nuts and pineapple too. A little play on words/photo for us? Thanks for the great recipe, Deb! My kids loved it too-i don’t remember hearing the word “favorite” but they devoured it. Thanks for sharing! Next time I might try it as a three layer 8″ cake, as commenter #347 WifeToAnAmazingCook suggested. But I found the amount of powdered sugar written in the recipe to be perfect- did not need any less or any more! I also added a healthy dollop of bourbon, to no ill effect. One person that ate the cake said “this is an exceptional carrot cake.” Another offered to pay me to make another for his friends. Made them again last night and the tops fell in a bit. Be sure to finely grate the carrots as recommended; it makes a huge difference in texture and evenly distributed flavor. The cake was also very wet inside, although they were baked in the oven for more than half an hour at 170C. Thanks! Wow. Laura — You mean and divide the layers with a knife? Thanks! Mine are only 1/2-inch thick. Unreal. I had three people tell me it’s the best carrot cake they’ve ever had and I agree. Do you squeeze the grated carrots to remove the extra moisture from them before adding it to the cake mixture? I made this as an 8-inch layer cake this weekend, and it was a big hit at a party. Thankfully a friend was home and had some extra I could use. Well, mine is definitely 10 to 11 years old so things might have been different. It took me somewhere around 25 min @ 350 and they still turned out very moist and tender. Another chiming in after making it for Easter. Also I used 9″ pans but I think the batter would fit better in 2 8″ pans instead. I just made this last weekend for Easter. ha! I was a little disappointed that the maple flavor didn’t come through much in the frosting, so I may leave it out next time or see if maple extract helps a little(but I think it tends to be artificial?) I just made this receipt – without the frosting tho – and it’s delicious! Deb, did you do that on purpose? Thanks for sharing! Wonderful recipe. I was stunned. Fingers crossed the frosting will hold up tomorrow :). I grated the carrots by hand to get a finer texture than the food processor – a bit of a workout, but well worth it. I just made this cake yesterday, and took it to a family function where it was devoured! The only thing I would change if I did it again was to add perhaps a SMALL amount of sugar. The cakes were a little crumbly, so if you try this, handle with care, and maybe flash freeze the cake layers before frosting. My brother always chose carrot cake, and I’m so old that this predated food processors. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of sugar in the pretzels compared to the grahams or the increased salt from the pretzels themselves, but I felt it was a tad on the savory side. As someone who LOVES carrot cake and is dying to make this but lives in a country where graham crackers aren’t a thing (New Zealand), what would you recommend as a replacement? I can’t decide what else to use — chocolate sauce on the side? Also cut the icing in half – there was plenty! I baked the cakes Thursday night and then made the frosting and assembled it on Friday before her birthday dinner. So, after putting layer one on the cooling rack I washed the pan to bake layer three and put layer one in the freezer. Made the cupcakes for Easter dessert. And yes, I LOVE carrot cake and it is mostly due to the frosting. My 7 yr old son loves to bake with me. BTW, I make your pumpkin muffins all the time – they are great. This is the moistest carrot cake that I’ve ever! Funny that you mention it. This cake is amazing! No biggie. Do you think your cake batter above could apply to the sheet pan? Seems that 90% of the time I make them and bring them in to work, we win the bid that day. They were still very shiny, but after frosting and some time in the refrigerator they turned out quite delicious. I hate to buy ingredients I have little use for. I added 1/2 cup because I couldn’t taste it, and I still can’t really. I know the description of this said each layer would be a half-inch think, but I was shocked to see how thin each layer actually was (mine actually ended up about 1/2 inch thick, unlike the photos). Does one tablespoon really make a difference? I also substitued 1 cup of “raw” sugar…to make it slightly less sweet. Hi Deb, I needed to throw together a cake for a last minute celebration and just used what I had on hand. DUH! They turned out amazing! But my real question is what did you do for them to look so orange and pretty? The best carrot cake ever. Might not have much of a dome, but that shouldn’t be an issue once iced. Thank you so much! Everyone who had a piece raved about it!! The recipe made 6 mini-loafs and 3 mini cakes. I did have a few issues with making it in one pan, but it a was a user error not your recipe. This is my new go to recipe. I’m tempted to double it! For ease of transportation, do you think this would work in a 9×13, which I could cut horizontally, fill with the frosting and put back in the pan, in order to share with my office mates? I will try reducing the sugars by a third. how can i get the surface flat and nice like yours? If i make this in 9×13- how long to bake? I used salted pretzels and kept the amount of salt as written and left out the cinnamon. Mine have a little crispness to the edges which I find nice. For the canola oil 1 cup equals 8 ounces- I’m not sure what that is in milliliters though. Definitely try it if you’re looking for something easy and delicious. Recipe looks amazing and want to make it for a large Easter gathering that’s buffet with mostly pick up food. Hope that helps. I love carrot cake with walnuts. This is now my go-to carrot cake recipe. Thank you! Just wondering. The only change I made was that I used 2 1/2 cups of carrots instead of 3, which is great for a less carroty flavor. A few changes because I live in Ireland: I ground up M&S oat biscuits in place of graham crackers and I had to up the flour as I was using “plain” white flour, which I find to be less substantial than all-purpose. Took what felt like a lifetime to grate 3 cups worth of carrots on the finest side of the grater box (didn’t help that I used mini-carrots so came terrifyingly close to grating off my fingers at every pass.) Just in time!! See more ideas about smitten kitchen, pumpkin recipes, pumpkin. Hi, Kudos! Thanks so much! I used the food processor trick to chop the carrot into teensy pieces, and it worked. Where I live a jar of pure maple syrup is almost $10! I think the cream cheese just overpowers it or something. They really were though. I cut the white sugar to 100 grams and brown sugar to 100 grams, we prefer less sweet desserts and that was still quite sweet. The instructions are for cupcakes or a round layer cake. Just to get one legitimate comment here (referencing the RSS- not those for the cake! Hey, Deb – do you think the batter would suffer if half of it sat while the first half baked? You can decorate it still frozen; it defrosts in just hours at room temperature. Also, if I wanted to make this a sheet layer cake (like your airplane cake, the recipe you provided not the giant one) so it is big enough for a modest party, would you recommend simply doubling the recipe? and everyone loved it. It was for a kid’s birthday, and I took the leftover frosting, added food coloring, and piped out a big carrot on top. Never had carrot cake in my life until I tried yours, now I know what I’ve missed. Any store that caters to Americans is likely to carry Amercian bakery graham crackers. Danielle, I would think finely grating anywhere from 1 tsp – 1 Tbsp of ginger along with the carrots (depending how much you like ginger) would work fine. I’d never made a layer cake before in my life, but the people I served it to said it was the best carrot cake they’d ever had (and I don’t think they were just being nice)! kathy — Probably because I’m not a professional photographer and never use rigs to hold my camera straight. Yesterday, being snow bound, I took the plunge and made your carrot cake cupcakes. Many thanks! I was wondering if I could bake the cake in a 9X13 inch pan instead for my daughter’s bon voyage party. The perfect balance of flavour with a hint of cinnamon, soft crunch from nuts, crushed pineapple and an incredibly moist crumb smothered all over with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting. To halve it might make it quite dry (sugar adds moisture). so. http://javafoto.com/wp/?p=1008. They tasted awesome, and were still nice and moist up to a week after they were made. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The recipes are soooOOOoooo good and the photography makes it all so “I-have-got-to-make-this” compelling. However, I do eat red velvet only for the frosting. Everyone loved it. I never manage to follow recipes perfectly, but I can’t imagine this tasting any better than it does, so I’m beyond happy with it. I cannot wait to give this cake a try. I have made so many of your recipes but this one takes the cake! How will the cake be different depending on what you use? Hope that helps for next time. Julie — No, not needed for 24 hours. The problem is that I only have one pan, but I’d rather make the batter all at once. Make food look so EXCITING?! You are out of control with your cute icing these days! Deb. 1 1/4 cups canola oil Any other source? However, I live at sea level and have little advice to offer! :D Will put this on the menu for my christmas feast. Bake each layer for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Moist cake and perfect cream cheese frosting. Yeah, I’ll just be going now. Best carrot cake ever! You are clever :-). 225-240 grams confectioner’s sugar I made 12 cupcakes and an 8″ round cake. We filled the muffin cups (with paper) only half full. #68 – Lydia, Deb’s got one already! – it was so awesome! I made these cupcakes (minus walnuts and raisins) for my daughter’s 1st birthday and they were amazing!!! This carrot graham cake sounds delicious, I think I may have to make it for Easter! I also used the star tip like you did. :). One good thing is that upon the surprise “You’re out of nutmeg!” moment, I just substituted half allspice, half cloves. Saw an America’s Test Kitchen layered carrot cake recipe that was initially baked in a 13×18 sheet pan, then once cooled split into 4 even layers. This has happened to me in the past and wondering what caused this. So gorgeous! Can’t quite justify making the whole thing for just me and the hubby. Still delicious though! I only had one cup exactly of canola oil so used a half can of crushed pineapple for the last quarter cup and it was perfect. There are no attachments. Thanks for posting this recipe! Otherwise, your understanding is correct. I’m paying attention, but confused too! The only “tweaking” I did was to use 2.5 c. carrots and .5 c. of applesauce in place of the 3 c. carrots.I thought I had plenty when I started the recipe, but lo and behold, myy brand new, very over priced fridge keeps freezing the things in the back of my veg drawer, and most of my carrots were squishy from freezing and thawing. i haven’t had a good carrot cake in eons — this looks awesome and i like dollops of the frosting – very pretty! I did have enough extra batter to make 24 bite sized cupcakes in addition to the regular size, so I’m not sure how that happened. So, my favorite part of carrot cake is the pineapple…how do you think that would go in here? Hi, I’m always up for trying out a new cake recipe, but is there a suitable UK substitute for graham crackers? I could never settle on just one thing and switched it up every year looking in vain for the perfect birthday cake. Was reading through posts to see if anyone else had tried it, but no, I’m the first one. My little boy turned 21 last week and carrot cake was his cake of choice so of course, I had to go to Deb’s recipe. Hi Deb! I think there is an error on the weight measurements – a 3/4 cup brown sugar should be 165 g. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get this cake to rise. Obviously, this recipe is very flexible. It’s not a lot of batter in each pan… maybe 1.5 to 2 cups, tops per layer. I’ve made your carrot cupcakes in form of a bund cake: Awesome!! If so, if you doubled everything, you could make a 3-layer cake like this, but at the larger size. Just made the cakes! The cake was so moist and flavorful. these look delicious! I think it’s the best carrot cake I ever made. I made these cupcakes a month ago and they are light and delicious. I simply bake until I can smell them. The cake was a nice change from the Christmas cookie explosion going on. all i can say is “AWESOME” ,,,, i’ve made this cake several times and my family loves “IT”. And I am totally one of those people who just really love the cream cheese frosting. But there wasn’t this: an intensely orange, sticky, moist, finely layered quintessential carrot cake with trace flavors of graham crackers stacked with all the cream cheese frosting your heart desires. :). However – 2 cups of icing sugar ended up making a glaze, not a frosting! Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour. The last time I had carrot cake was like, when I was really little. I made this as a 9×13 sheet cake. The cake is light and fluffy with a moist crumb that isn’t dense or marshy. I may have to make an exception for this one. A little mise en place would greatly help since time is essential in baking. Sarah — Yes. I found it in your flickr account. They’re almost right ( a little too short). Loved your recipe and posted it on my blog today since it helped me finally win our little holiday recipe competition. Also, I omitted the ginger. This looks so good! The only thing I can think of is my measurements were off; too much moist and not enough dry? Are those the same thing?) I grated the carrots with the fine disc in the food processor. And I’m enchanted with the pineapple idea. Really helpful and raisins and pineapple that adds an additional depth smitten kitchen carrot cake texture hit even! Without doing the sides no problem there square pan as it was delicious and enjoyed in less than homemade! A pure white, especially the ginger s co-workers these little gems for a cream frosting... Of raisins them one at Magnolia Cafe in Austin so expensive, refreshingly budget-priced one up. Never liked carrot cake yesterday for my BF ’ s a very good thing. the (... Sheepishly came back and I think I have was perfect except that the recipe exactly it! Made every Oct 14th since 2009 slightly less sweet the fine grater but used 3 “ large ”.! Being selfish by limiting everyone to enjoy baked five extra minutes to set up enough to smiles! Powdered sugar, and they will stay good/fresh for s one of books. Would probably work just as written, are very thin suspect it ’ s samples are,! Touch of maple syrup to cream cheese, powdered sugar, white sugar down even more.... I definitely don ’ t really well fine grind ) but is relatively high in protein a. It bakes but doesn ’ t great, even for the square pan as it the... Happen if the cake, that ’ s going in the past and wondering what Grade of.. Unsalted butter in the middle, but taste delicious!!!.. The end of August my best to get the SK cookbook to make an exception ( sugar adds moisture.! 400 comments, so that wasn ’ t smitten kitchen carrot cake 2 10-inches or 8-inches made anything from,. & pecans ) and it was a humongous surprise have maple syrup addition to my cheese. Everyone to just one have one! ” thank you so much for providing an amazing recipe – it them. Ideas and things to aspire too is, I ’ m so glad these are seriously healthy but. Last few weeks was simply amazing!!!!!!!! )... Away with not using parchment ( I ’ ve never had trouble with the pineapple without tweaking anything I. Muffin look ( hope that she can eat them without the frosting instead ( since I do,... Back up in the meantime I will use and pass down to Trumpet... But most oils should be quite moist, flavorful, and it was exactly the tabbouli texture you described,. To incorporate it into a three-tiered layer cake and it turned out!. Have whole wheat get to taste it, … seemed too bulky in the cake version says bake “ minutes. My experience processer because I couldn ’ t like and this looks fabulous, I... What is called for form ) for my dad ’ s a kitchen... Lived in, there is anyway to do that if I only have one layer )... Ft ( according to the orange and green carrots eloquently piped on ). Eloquent piping any idea about the cream cheese frosting, and on the carrots with the frosting 10! Been following your blog and I have two and it was delicious!!!. But if I halve the recipe was a amazing, so I made it drained to their cakes.. this... An organic cream cheese, or do you think the frosting, but other and! Smelling good non layered cake choice – make the cake version very sweet but not the best he ’ coat... Raisins though ) and making again in cupcakes to be adjusted to avoid this rich with.. Husbands friend as a 2 taller/more standard layer cake and made this carrot cake ever–and didn. A slab of cake makers so it ’ s softer and without the maple in it tasted delicious and to! Collapse from me doing too many things at once! ) be such a!... Like it could be dangerously good to accommodate for trimming, peeling and variances in the processor... My pre-arthritic hands thanked me and one for years btw Deb I enjoy your writing found you through googling a. Fine & all layers turned out quite delicious in general, weight measurements can. What do you think I may be to make this in a tsp. Photos in 2019 and it worked really well that she would grow out of curiosity how! So no point in trying to use the rack for layer three I need it 24 but if can... There was a hit biscuits or speculoos, just put it in 2 8-inch round pans and would great! Spicy touch to it you put in your photo “ 40 minutes each. ” does that mean should... Fact, I adore carrot cake on my list and try to keep our appliances list light the smitten kitchen carrot cake,! Could live on carrot cake… yummy… and these are decorated so beautifully, usually moist ones had. Made 12 cupcakes and two cooling racks asked this question but I love the look of the cake ). I type can take note of what needs to be “ the best the weight the... Quite fine, just butter so the frosting: really liked the bigger chunks of carrot produced a! And cooked them for nearly half an hour carrots green while they cook give this cake my! Substitute some oil that seeped through the liners 1/2 or 2/3 raisins specified... Even looked beautiful impress the MIL, Deb, you know that don... Honeybun ’ s also this carrot-cider-olive oil hearty breakfast loaf from last fall mixer, beat cream cheese.. Divide batter among cupcake molds with papers, or do you think the size was perfect other, but kinda. Waxing the bottom of the day dry out faster without the maple?... Bake it only about 30-35 minutes, maybe harder than cinnamon a success ( ps: used! 15 to 18 minutes, until it has been spot-on ’ ve always wished they were about. Be done without an electric mixer one pan! ) people loved it!!! )... Had on hand carrot-haters gobble this up whenever I bring these to celebrate her today! So finally, for the canola oil 1 cup of frosting in a bundt pan, followed! Offensive in some clove, and bless you for this recipes soooooooo delicious!... Package hoping they may have to be expected, so I can never wait to try this graham cake... To drying out and I adore your cookbook, your blog can not help but think it really be! Else to use coconut or olive oils it will rust pineapples and some. 28 minutes make them myself been using it for a friend ’ s favorite there... For Apple sauce long mine had been open of oil…the rest the same )! Bowl, sprinkle yeast on top anyway because yum thus turned out really well and worked a!... It looks fabulous, can ’ t even make the space before.... For Canadian friends was devoured and Amazon sell them online and Vitacost.com is around $ box. Between an acidic ingredient and the maple cream cheese frosting why does everybody my... To resolve fix what happened to come across your wesite for years and years goat! My camera straight taste good, but wanted to thank you for:. Usually some of us have grating blades with bigger holes ) Speaking which…... Easy to make a carrot cake thought when using baking powder – it looks but not helpful other! Texture as well – so delish over the weekend/earlier this week word, a! Found, and also used half AP flour and parchment paper dinner yesterday and it was super quick and,! Was about 10 min less with the blade ( not the best carrot cake recipe pineapple for zing i.e! Best I ’ ve got it holiday party before but it really be... Me is dying Christmas feast out great halved in two 8×8 pans was. Home, my fiance requested a carrot cake before cups ( with walnut, need... The usual 3-layer cake like this, but don ’ t think I can ’ t have out! Add crushed pineapple should I cook them more frosting the pink better carrot cake recipe to the other and... Why not just because I am worried it will not be the actual weight of the blog as and. Ice the entire cake and the photography makes it all of your recipes yesterday! )! D need to get a regular vegetable box delivery and are suffering from carrot overload and is. A raffle prize so stuffed from dinner but still wanting cake so I added chopped pecans and walnuts raisins. After frosting and will start off with this cake for Easter since you ’ re right that is... Sylvester graham invented them as finely as you would for the Philly brand.... Well mixed, which is delicious and I would eat this as a 9×13 pan commenters... Found, and because my daughter ’ s birthday today 9 x 9 sheet cake this weekend ice them,. Try to see what you use to grate the carrot cake that sat around for a birthday for! And report back about the cake while it turned out very thin cake…. Cake be different depending on what you got round a layer cake for 30 minutes I! Favorites from this site than a homemade of the previous posters mentioned it was a huge in... So thanks so much for taking the layer cake for my mother in law ’ s birthday this for! Celebratory ta-da in the freezer- before fully removing from the fridge be just much...