THE BEST CARROT CAKE WITH FLUFFY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Oil – liquid oil will keep this cake soft even when it’s refrigerated to preserve the cream cheese frosting. That’s because oil is liquid even when cold whereas the saturated fats in butter are hard when cold.
Granulated sugar – granulated sugar keeps these muffins tender and moist.
Brown sugar – brown sugar adds rich molasses undertones to complement the sweet spices in this cake. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
Eggs – two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.
Yogurt – use full fat plain yogurt to add tanginess to balance the sweet carrots and the acidity will react with the baking soda.
Grated carrots – you will need 2 cups of shredded carrots which is about 240g from 3 medium carrots. Make sure you grate them on the finer side of your box grater.
best carrot cake recipe
best carrot cake ingredients
Maple syrup – this is my secret ingredient that will make your cake stand out from all the rest. It adds rich robust sweetness in an almost tangy savory way so this cake is not too sweet. It also adds moisture which keeps this cake soft for days. If you really can’t get maple syrup, I’d suggest golden syrup, brown rice syrup or agave syrup, but not honey since honey is much sweeter.
Cream cheese – one block of cream cheese will make the frosting. Avoid using spreadable or whipped cream cheese which has a higher moisture content and will affect the consistency of the frosting.
Lemon juice – this really enhances the tanginess of the cream cheese!
Powdered sugar – it’s also called icing sugar. Make sure you sift it before making the frosting since those pesky lumps can sometimes never break down. Sifted icing sugar will give you a fluffier frosting.
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Carrot cake is surprisingly easy to make that you really shouldn’t feel the need to buy a box mix! The most labor intensive part is grating the carrots, but once that is out of the way, then all you need to do is mix it all up! I use my hand mixer for this recipe, but you can use a stand mixed or even make it by hand with just a whisk.
STEP 1). First grate your carrots. Use the medium grate on your box grater – not the largest size. If the carrot shreds are too large then they will be stringy in the cake and this interferes with the nice moist crumb texture. Measure out 2 cups and place it in a large mixing bowl.
STEP 2). Add the sugar and eggs. Add sugar and eggs and beat until evenly combined.
STEP 3). Add the remaining wet ingredients. Add the oil, yogurt and maple syrup and mix well.
STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
STEP 5). Add in the dry ingredients in two parts. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix again until just combined.
STEP 6). Fold in walnuts. Add the walnuts and fold them in gently.
STEP 7). Bake. Divide the batter evenly between your pans and bake until evenly golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.