I have a feeling you can make quite a few people happy with a Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, right?! At least that’s the case at our house. Every time there’s a cake like this in the kitchen, everyone practically comes running with their plates, wanting a slice. It’s the same every time! But that’s fine with me – I don’t want to eat the whole cake on my own anyway. Most of the time.
I’ve been debating for a while whether I should even publish another carrot cake recipe here on the blog. We already have so many good recipes for that. From simple recipes to more complicated ones, we have it all. We’ve even have several recipes for carrot cake cupcakes and cookies. You might almost think that enough is enough, right?
Well, not really. There are still plenty of versions to try. Not every carrot cake recipe is the same! This one, for example, has bananas in the cake batter to create an extra moist cake that keeps fresh for longer. Not that carrot cakes have any major problems with that, but a little extra moisture certainly doesn’t hurt. I’m just saying, speaking for everyone I guess!
Seriously though, Carrot Cakes are fantastic. A bit denser than other cakes, but always wonderfully moist and delicious. Add some cream cheese frosting on top, and you can’t really go wrong. We love these kinds of cakes and often bake them even outside Easter season. However, you should always have enough people around to help you – a cake like this can be dangerous if you’re alone or just the two of you. Since it lasts a long time and still tastes great after several days, there’s a good chance you’ll eat too much. Unfortunately, cakes like that aren’t exactly low in sugar or calories.
As for the decoration, I decided to use cream cheese frosting only for this cake here. I usually like to make marzipan carrots for my carrot cakes, but for this one I thought some colored frosting should be fine. It makes the decoration much easier and quicker Two piping bags are all you need – you don’t even require any special nozzles or anything like that. Very convenient.
Admittedly, the frosting for this cake is a bit sweet(er). Or rather, a bit sweet for someone like me who’s used to cakes with less sugar. If you are like me, you might want to reduce the amount of confectioners’ sugar in the frosting – something you can do without getting into trouble.
For those looking to cut down on calories even further, sugar substitutes are a great option here as well. They work perfectly fine in the cake batter as well as the frosting. The texture of the frosting might change slightly, but anyone who bakes with these substitutes more will know what to do.
Speaking of the devil – we have another recipe here on the blog for an Easy Carrot Cake that’s made without eggs and with less sugar than usual. If anyone’s interested, I highly recommend it! It tastes absolutely delicious, and no one will notice the difference.
If you’re looking for something even more indulgent, you should definitely try our Baked Carrot Cake Cheesecake. It’s absolutely spectacular! Carrot cake meets cheesecake, resulting in a whopping 12 million calories that will pack a punch! That one is basically the opposite of the carrot cake with less sugar…
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
Backform Umrechner
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A quick tip for baking and cooling this cake
Cakes typically rise a bit more in the middle than around the edges while baking. This is a physical issue because the heat doesn’t reach the cake evenly, causing the batter to rise and bake unevenly. The heat is usually stronger around the edges because the baking tin transfers heat better than the air inside the oven. The batter sets faster there than it does in the center, where it has more time to rise. This is easily noticeable in the domed surface of the cake.
A cake strip for even baking* can help counteract this and make it easier for the cake to rise higher around the edges before the batter starts to set and harden. Simply moisten the cake strip, place it around the baking tin, and then bake the cake. The damp band reduces the heat reaching the pan, resulting in a more even rise. We bought one of these strips a few years ago, and it’s one of the best things we’ve ever gotten for baking. A few damp paper towels can also be used as a substitute. It’s just not quite as sustainable as a reusable cake strip.
Anyway. The cake will probably still have a slight dome even with a cake strip. With a fairly dense cake, like a carrot cake, you can even level it out a bit after baking by simply turning it upside down on the cooling rack. I most likely wouldn’t do that with a fluffy chiffon cake because it compresses the cake, but honestly, it doesn’t make much of a difference with a carrot cake. These cakes are always a bit denser. Let it cool upside down, and voila, you have a flat surface – top and bottom. If you then need to level the cake a little, the loss of cake is minimal.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the carrots for the cake and grate them (not too finely). Mash the bananas. Roughly chop the walnuts. Have all ingredients ready for baking.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 20cm baking tin* (with a loose bottom) with parchment paper* or lightly grease it and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine both types of sugar with the eggs and mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the oil and vanilla extract and mix in. Add the mashed bananas and mix in as well.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and salt. Add this mixture to the large bowl and stir it in with a rubber spatula. Add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts and fold them in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes. The cake should be nicely risen and golden brown. Test with a wooden skewer to see if the cake is done. In case the cake starts to get too dark towards the end of the baking time, simply cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool inside the baking tin for about 10-15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
5. For the frosting, mix the butter with the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla extract – start slow and then increase the speed and mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and mix until well combined.
6. If necessary, level the cake and then slice it horizontally in half. Spread some cream cheese frosting on the bottom half of the cake, then place the top half on top and coat the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate to your liking, e.g. with chopped walnuts.
Note: If you want to decorate the cake with the tiny carrots, simply take a small amount of the frosting and color it orange and green.
1. Die Karotten für den Kuchen schälen und (nicht zu fein) raspeln. Die Bananen zerdrücken. Die Walnüsse grob hacken. Alle Zutaten für den Kuchen bereitstellen.
2. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine 20cm Backform mit Hebeboden* mit Backpapier* auslegen oder leicht einfetten und zur Seite stellen.
3. Beide Zuckersorten für den Teig zusammen mit den Eiern in einer großen Schüssel verrühren, bis sich der Zucker weitestgehend aufgelöst hat. Das Öl und den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und unterrühren. Die zerdrückten Bananen dazugeben und ebenfalls unterrühren.
4. Das Mehl mit Backpulver, Zimt, Ingwer, Kardamom, Piment und Salz vermischen, dann zur Schüssel dazugeben und mit einem Gummispatel unterrühren. Die geraspelten Karotten und gehackten Walnüsse dazugeben und unterheben. Den Teig in die vorbereitete Form füllen und dann im vorgeheizten Ofen für etwa 60-70 Minuten backen. Der Kuchen sollte schön aufgegangen sein und eine goldbraune Farbe haben. Mit einem Holzspieß testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt, und den Kuchen erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Sollte der Kuchen gegen Ende der Backzeit etwas dunkel werden, einfach mit einem Stück Alufolie abdecken und weiterbacken. Den fertigen Kuchen aus dem Ofen nehmen und etwa 10-15 Minuten in der Form abkühlen lassen, dann herauslösen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett auskühlen lassen.
5. Für das Frosting die Butter mit dem Puderzucker, Salz und Vanille Extrakt erst langsam, dann auf höchster Stufe einige Minuten hell und luftig aufschlagen. Den Frischkäse dazugeben und gut unterrühren.
6. Den Kuchen, falls notwendig, begradigen und dann horizontal in der Mitte halbieren. Auf der unteren Hälfte ein wenig Frischkäsecreme verstreichen, dann die obere Hälfte auflegen und den Kuchen mit der verbliebenen Creme rundum einstreichen. Den Carrot Cake nach Belieben dekorieren – z.B. mit ein paar gehackten Walnüssen.
Hinweis: Wer ein wenig des Frostings orange und grün einfärbt, kann den Kuchen mit kleinen Karöttchen dekorieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
This cake is not only great for Easter – we love to bake a classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting all year round. So good!
1. Peel the carrots for the cake and grate them (not too finely). Mash the bananas. Roughly chop the walnuts. Have all ingredients ready for baking.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 20cm baking tin* (with a loose bottom) with parchment paper* or lightly grease it and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine both types of sugar with the eggs and mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the oil and vanilla extract and mix in. Add the mashed bananas and mix in as well.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and salt. Add this mixture to the large bowl and stir it in with a rubber spatula. Add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts and fold them in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes. The cake should be nicely risen and golden brown. Test with a wooden skewer to see if the cake is done. In case the cake starts to get too dark towards the end of the baking time, simply cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool inside the baking tin for about 10-15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
5. For the frosting, mix the butter with the confectioners’ sugar, salt, and vanilla extract – start slow and then increase the speed and mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and mix until well combined.
6. If necessary, level the cake and then slice it horizontally in half. Spread some cream cheese frosting on the bottom half of the cake, then place the top half on top and coat the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate to your liking, e.g. with chopped walnuts.
Notes
If you want to decorate the cake with the tiny carrots, simply take a small amount of the frosting and color it orange and green.
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