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Super Moist Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting - Decorating the Cake
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Super Moist Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

This tender and moist carrot cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting is by far the best I've ever tried. The secret ingredient in this easy step-by-step recipe is olive oil. No white sugar!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12 servings
Calories 377kcal

Ingredients

For the moist carrot cake:

  • 300 grams or 2 1/2 cups flour I used 1:1 ratio of all-purpose to whole wheat flour
  • 150 grams or 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2/3 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 200 ml or 3/4 cup olive oil (pure light or mild)
  • 250 grams or 9 oz carrots about 3-4 medium-sized carrots
  • 50 grams or 1.5 oz pecans

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 300 grams or 1 1/2 cup cream cheese e.g. Philadelphia cheese
  • 120 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 50 grams or 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 8-12 carrot cake decorations or some pecans to garnish

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, backing soda, apple cider vinegar and salt. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs with olive oil. Grate carrots and add them to the mixture. Chop pecans and add them as well.
    Super Moist Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting - Steps Image Collage
  • Preheat the oven to 150 °C or 300 °F. Pour the olive oil-carrot mixture into the flour mixture and stir well. Transfer to the backing dish. I used this 16 cm or 6 1/4 inch cake form but you can only fit half of the batter in it, which makes two layers. One more option would be to divide all the ingredients, including frosting in half, in case you want a really small cake. The last option to use a larger form and make it a two-layer cake (in this case, you might want to use less frosting, too).
    Super Moist Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting - More Steps Image Collage
  • Bake for 1 hour in a small form or for 1 hour 20 minutes in a large form. Poke it with a toothpick and if it comes out dry, it's ready. Let cool and cut in half lengthwise, using a ruler if needed. If the surface is not flat, cut the excess off.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting: combine the cream cheese, softened butter, honey and vanilla extract with a hand mixer or food processor.
  • Place the first cake layer on cake stand. Spread with 1/4 frosting using a spatula (or with 1/2 if you opt for two layers). Optional: use a pastry bag to spread the frosting around the rim. Top with the next cake layer. Repeat until you are out of layers.
  • Decorate with little sugar or marzipan carrots or pecans. Enjoy!

Notes

You can refrigerate this cake for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 4125IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.7mg