I decided to do a traditional carrot cake for the Easter weekend, but wanted to do something special, so I made it a giant cupcake and dressed it up with some marshmallow fondant. This is my favorite carrot cake recipe, with Bakerella‘s delicious cream cheese frosting. The recipes are below, and are very easy. Enjoy!
Have a wonderful holiday weekend my friends!
Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound (3 cups) carrots, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
FOR THE FROSTING
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 cake pan (or spray with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper).
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and oil; mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Once combined, beat well for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is throughly combined and light in color. Stir in the carrots until evenly distributed.
Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing well between each. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes, scrape the bowl, and mix again for about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting and serving.
For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla; scrape the bowl. A little at a time, add the confectioners’ sugar, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat well until light and fluffy and well combined. Frost the cake and serve.
Soooo you are going to be writing a cook book right? because i would definitely buy it!!!
Absolutely amazing! I have that cake pan, but I don't think anything that looks like that will ever come out of it.
It sounds delicious!
Just wondering when do you add the carrot? Thanks x
You’ll stir the carrots in just before adding the flour mixture. Sorry about that!!
Thank you tried it out and it was a definite winner much appreciated for such a great recipe thank you 🙂 x
Hi, is this recipe for a giant cupcake mold? If not do you know how much more ingredients I should add to the recipe? Thank you!
Yes, this is for a giant cupcake. This recipe, as-is, will make 2 8- or 9-inch rounds.
Hello, I was wondering if it mattered what kind of Cream Cheese you used? Would you recommend a specific one?
Thanks x
I always use the low-fat generic cream cheese 🙂 I haven’t notice a difference between cream cheeses 🙂
I have to make a giant cupcake out of carrot cake. I’m a bit nervous because I’ve never used the pan before. Not sure if I’m going to be using fondant to cover it so I’m wondering if the cream cheese frosting on top will stay ok. I know it’s not as thick as a buttercream and I just don’t want it sliding off the top!
I think that you would be safe using cream cheese frosting. If you feel like its too soft, you can always add a bit of extra sugar to firm it up a bit. 🙂