Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream and Roasted Pecans
The moment I place this cake in the oven, the anticipation starts. The aroma takes over my home, and it becomes impossible to wait for it to be ready. Hints of ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar take over the entire space.
This has been my carrot cake recipe for years and it never disappoints. I’ve made it into beautiful birthday cakes, muffins for brunch, cupcakes for sweet tables, sheet cakes, etc. and the results have always been the same, everyone happy and satisfied.
For cakes such as this, fresh ingredients are very important. I use Organic Carrots because they are sweeter and have a more intense flavor. Freshly grated ginger adds a nice kick and intensifies the aroma.
Baker’s Tips:
Carrot Cake is one of the fastest and easiest cakes to bake once you’ve completed the tedious task of peeling and grating the carrots. You can grate the carrots using a hand grater or if you want to speed up the process use your food processor with the shredder attachment. Once this process is completed, all you need to do is get all the rest of the ingredients measured and you are ready to go.
You can mix all the ingredients by hand, no mixer is needed. Just make sure that you use a large bowl, you don’t want your ingredients to overflow.
Here are a few other recipe tips:
- Use a kitchen scale to weight the carrots after you grate them.
- Grate the ginger into the carrot cake mixture
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature
- Roast the pecans and let them chill before adding to the cake batter.
- You can add dry fruits like cranberries of golden raisins to the mix.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the batter when pouring into the cake pans to get even cakes.
Perfect for Fall celebrations or any gathering. This cake will never disappoint.
Enjoy!
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots shredded
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz butter at room temp.
- 2 lb confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, mix the vegetable oil and the granulated sugar, until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Add the grated carrots to the sugar and oil, mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs and the vanilla extract.
- Start adding the flour one third at a time and continue to mix just until all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Fold the pecans into the batter.
- place batter into the prepared pans, bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place on a cooling rack and let it refresh before applying thr icing.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment combine the butter and cream cheese and beat for 2 minutes on medium to high speed.
- Turn the speed down to low and start adding the powder sugar little by little.
- Add the heavy cream, salt, and vanilla, mix well. If the buttercream is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of heavy cream, one at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Once the cake has cooled down, you can apply the buttercream. Get creative with your cake, use a spatula for a more rustic design or your favorite piping tip. The sky is the limit!