This easy carrot cake is incredibly moist and rich. You only need few simple ingredients, just the way proper cakes are made!
If you had never tried carrot cake before, you’re just one taste away from falling in love with the best cake ever invented. Carrot cake is the only popular cake that uses a vegetable as its main ingredient and proudly tells the world about it.
This easy carrot cake is incredibly moist and rich – carrots, walnuts and almonds give the crunchy texture that makes this cake a real pleasure to eat. You only need few simple ingredients, just the way proper cakes are made.
It’s packed with healthy good stuff, the nuts and veggie provide a great source of antioxidants, vitamins and proteins. And then, let’s not forget about the cream. The orange & mascarpone cream is the perfect match for your carrot cake, I promise, they love each other as much as you will love both.
Many carrot cake recipes call for soft cream cheese, a general name for what way-too-often leads to the industrial processed supermarket option.
I try to stick either to fresh ricotta or mascarpone cheese, depending if I want a healthier or richer cream. This time, to balance all the healthy goodness packed in the cake already, I opted for a rich and indulgent mascarpone cream.
The secret for a showstopper mascarpone cream is to keep it as light as you can. Add the zest of an orange for extra zing, and replace sugar with agave nectar, and voilayou have a cream made to impress. Use it for Tiramisu cupcakes frosting, cakes fillings, cheesecakes – or just grab a spoon and eat as much a you can.
If you’re craving something sweet, a slice of this fabulous cake will make a delicious treat for breakfast /snack /dessert /anytime-really.
Another reason to love this carrot cake – but I’m sure you’re pretty convinced by now– is that it’s super easy to put together. This easy carrot cake requires only 4 simple steps, and before you know it, you’ll be indulging into a big slice of cake and making your own peace with the world.
UPDATE: I LOVE carrot cake, and over the years I’ve tested some pretty exciting versions. If you want to try a great allergy-friendly version of this easy carrot cake, jump on these dairy-free carrot cake donuts. They are super moist and taste just as good!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
- 130g/ ⅔ cup muscovado sugar
- 120ml/ 4oz sunflower seed oil
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- juice and grated zest of one orange
- half pod vanilla seeds
- 240g / 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 pinches of sea salt
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- -
- 300gr/ 10oz finely chopped carrots
- 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp chopped almonds
- 250gr/ 8oz italian mascarpone cheese
- 100gr/3.5oz confectioner's sugar
- zest and juice of ½ orange
- Preheat oven to 180 ° C.
- In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients.
- Separately, mix together the dry ingredients.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Mix until fully combined, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Finally add chopped carrots and nuts. Butter the cake pan and sprinkle with sugar, pour the mixture in, making sure that it does not exceed ⅔ of the mold.
- Bake and cook for 40 minutes.
- In the meantime, whisk the mascarpone cheese with sugar, until you to get a smooth and rich cream. Add freshly grated orange zest and juice and mix until just combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- When the cake is cooked, remove from the pan and let cool.
- Cut the cake in half horizontally, and spread the cream on the surface. You can cover the cake entirely with cream or just the top of it.
- Sprinkle with crumbled pistachio nuts and carrot flakes and serve immediately, or store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.