Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream – This Carrot Cake is amazingly moist and full of yummy texture thanks to shredded carrots, diced pineapple, raisins and chopped walnuts. It’s paired with a fluffy, smooth and tangy Cream Cheese Buttercream. 

This Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream is another recipe adapted from the book of family recipes my grandma gave me. I adjusted the quantity of the ingredients to make this into a two layer 6 inch cake. This size is so perfect for a small gathering and was really popular with my Two Layer Red Velvet Cake. As for the ingredients themselves, I made a couple swaps and added a few of my own into the mix. 

1. I decided to use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar instead of all granulated which the original recipe called for. Brown sugar adds some moisture and gives a very subtle caramel flavour. 
2. The original recipe calls for pecans and I swapped them out for walnuts. You can totally use pecans if you prefer! Just personal preference.
3. I added diced pineapple for moisture and texture, raisins for more texture and sweetness, and nutmeg and ginger to enhance the warm, spiced flavour of this cake. 
4. To be totally honest with you, I didn’t even look at the original frosting recipe for this cake. I am so particular about my frosting and almost always use my own anyway. I paired this cake with my fluffy Cream Cheese Buttercream. 

So, basically this is the moistest, most amazingly textured and most delicious Carrot Cake out there. Paired with my fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting – it’s simply the best! Let’s get to it already!

What you will need

Oil – Vegetable or Canola oil will work. Oil makes for a super moist cake. 

Granulated sugar

Brown sugar

3 eggs

Vanilla extract 

All-purpose flour

Baking powder

Baking soda

Cinnamon 

Nutmeg

Ginger 

Salt

Carrots – You will need about 2 carrots to total 1.5 cups when shredded. 

Canned diced pineapple – Pineapple adds a lot of moisture, great texture and a little extra sweetness to this cake. If you are not a huge pineapple fan or are worried about the taste, don’t be! It does not give a strong pineapple flavour to this cake. 

Raisins – I know raisins can be total hit or miss for some people…I don’t even like raisins really. I will not eat them on their own BUT for some reason, I want them in Carrot Cake. I’ll even take them in a cookie or a muffin. However, if you want to leave them out, that is totally fine.

Walnuts – Walnuts add the perfect amount of crunch. You can also use pecans if you prefer. 

Unsalted Butter – Used in the Buttercream only.

Cream Cheese – Using regular full fat cream cheese (not light) will make for the best Buttercream!

Powdered Sugar – If you notice any clumps in your powdered sugar be sure to sift it beforehand. This usually happens when it has sat for a long time in a large package or bin like at a bulk store.

Heavy Whipping Cream – Using 33% heavy cream is key to a fluffy Buttercream!

How to make this Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

For the Carrot Cake

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon nutmeg, and ginger.

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the oil and sugars together until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes. 

Add the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl so all is incorporated. 

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

Add the shredded carrots, diced pineapple, raisins and walnuts and mix until evenly incorporated. Be sure not to overmix. 

Pour equal amounts of the batter into each greased cake pan. About 2.5 cups of batter in each. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. My cakes took about 38 minutes! Test the cakes by using a toothpick or cake tester. It should come out with just a few crumbs or clean. 

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack.

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream 

Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

It’s important to use slightly chilled cream cheese for this buttercream to avoid it becoming too soft and gloopy. If you are planning on piping with this buttercream, then you will want a buttercream that holds it’s shape!

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and heavy cream. Then, whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembly

These cakes bake pretty flat, but if you want to level them a bit more, you can trim the tops off. I like using a cake leveller to ensure they are perfectly even, but you can also eyeball it with a serrated knife. Just slice the domed tops off of the cake layers so that they are flat.

Spread or pipe a couple tablespoons of buttercream onto the centre of your cake round or cake plate. This will keep your cake in place as you decorate it.

Place the first layer of cake top side up on your cake round or plate. Spread about 1/2 cup of buttercream on top. Place the second layer on top, top side down so that the bottom of the cake layer is the very top surface of the cake. 

Spread another half cup of buttercream on the top of the cake. If some spills over the side, that is ok. Then start frosting the sides of the cake. Tools like an offset spatula and cake scrapers are very helpful for spreading frosting and creating smooth sides.

After the crumb coat, I used an offset spatula to create this textured look on the sides. Drag the tip of your offset spatula along the side of the cake, starting at the bottom and moving upwards as you move around the cake. A turntable is handy here! I also piped some rosettes and drop flowers on top with a 2D piping tip and leaves with tip 352.  

If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out these other Two Layer 6 inch sized cakes!

Two Layer Red Velvet Cake

Mini Snack Cake

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Recipe by Kelsey LacombeCourse: DessertDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Bake time

40

minutes

Assembly Time

30

minutes

This Carrot Cake is amazingly moist and full of yummy texture thanks to shredded carrots, diced pineapple, raisins and chopped walnuts. It’s paired with a fluffy, smooth and tangy Cream Cheese Buttercream. 

Ingredients

• Carrot Cake

• 3/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ginger

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

• 3/4 cup canned diced pineapple

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream cheese, chilled

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• For the Carrot Cake
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 6 inch cake pans.
• In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon nutmeg, and ginger.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the oil and sugars together until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl so all is incorporated.
• With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Add the shredded carrots, pineapple, raisins and walnuts and mix until evenly incorporated. Be sure not to overmix.
• Pour equal amounts of the batter into each cake pan. About 2.5 cups of batter in each.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes. My cakes took about 38 minutes! Test the cakes by using a toothpick or cake tester. It should come out with just a few crumbs or clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• For the Cream Cheese Buttercream
• Using a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and heavy cream. Then, whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Assembly
• If needed, level the cakes. See notes in post for details.
• Spread or pipe a couple tablespoons of buttercream onto the centre of your cake round or cake plate. This will keep your cake in place as you decorate it.
• Place the first layer of cake top side up on your cake round or plate. Spread about 1/2 cup of buttercream on top. Place the second layer on top, top side down so that the bottom of the cake layer is the very top surface of the cake. 
• Spread another half cup of buttercream on the top of the cake. If some spills over the side, that is ok. Then start frosting the sides of the cake. Tools like an offset spatula and cake scrapers are very helpful for spreading frosting and creating smooth sides.
• After the crumb coat, I used an offset spatula to create this textured look on the sides. Drag the tip of your spatula along the side of the cake, starting at the bottom and moving upwards as you move around the cake. A turntable is also handy here! I also piped some rosettes and drop flowers on top with a 2D piping tip and leaves with tip 352.  

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