Soft, creamy, rich, and easy carrot cake with a delicious mascarpone frosting. The perfect Easter dessert to satisfy your cake cravings!
If you have never tried this easy carrot cake recipe before, you're just one taste away from falling in love with the best Easter cake ever.
There are so many reasons why we love this cake. It's moist, rich, health-ish and such a breeze to make.
The combination of carrots, nuts, and cheese frosting paired together with a lightly spiced cake sponge makes it just an incredible dessert.
My family loves this cake so much that I bake it on a regular basis. It's also my son's most requested birthday cake!
CARROT CAKE INGREDIENTS
This easy and moist carrot cake recipe is incredibly delicious, gently spiced, and with some most-welcomed crunchy bits here and there.
To make these made from scratch carrot cake you'll need less than 10 ingredients:
- Flour: Just regular all purpose flour, you may swap 2 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoon of almond meal for an almond flour carrot cake if you like.
- Baking powder: you can use baking powder and baking soda, or just baking powder.
- Spices: A mix of cinnamon and nutmeg give a nice layer of flavor to this cake.
- Sugar: I like to use demerara sugar, but brown sugar or caster sugar work just fine.
- Eggs: Go for medium-sized eggs.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Use light olive oil with a subtle flavor.
- Orange: The juice and zest of one orange add an amazing citrusy note, don't skip it!
- Carrots: Finely grate the carrots using the attachment on your food processor or a simple grater.
- Walnuts: You can easily substitute them with pecan nuts or toasted almonds if you prefer.
CARROT CAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This easy carrot cake recipe is delicious with or without frosting.
So if you want to make it healthier or you don't have all the ingredients at hand, just skip the frosting altogether.
You can leave it plain or sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top and it will still taste amazing.
However, if you want to impress your guests, here are a few topping options:
- Butter cream cheese frosting: this basic cream cheese frosting is a go-to option for many. It's made with butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange juice.
- Simple glaze: Simply mix 50 g of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of orange juice and drizzle all over the cake.
- Mascarpone cheese frosting: Made with mascarpone cheese, this is my favorite frosting, it's also a bit lighter and tangier than cream cheese frosting.
- Ricotta frosting: Made with ricotta cheese, this lighter frosting is perfect if you want to make a healthy carrot cake. Simply follow the recipe below and swap the mascarpone cheese with well-drained ricotta.
- Yogurt: To make dairy-free carrot cake use a dairy-free thick yogurt, like Skyr, instead of mascarpone cheese for the frosting.
As you can see, this super easy dessert is packed with healthy good stuff.
The nuts and veggies provide a great source of nutrients, making this cake on the health-ish side.
HOW TO MAKE CARROT CAKE
This easy carrot cake recipe couldn't be easier. It's ready in just a few simple steps and it takes less than an hour to make.
You'll just need a couple of bowls and a cake pan!
STEP 1 - Mix Dry ingredients and Wet Ingredients Separately
I like to mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl until well combined.
I then mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl until they are nicely blended.
STEP 2 - Mix Everything and Add Carrots & Nuts
Then I slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a stir everything until combined. Once the batter is ready, I fold in the carrots and nuts.
STEP 3- Pour and bake
Pour the prepared batter into two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9-inch tall cake pan or a 10-inch bundt cake pan or a 9-inch square pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
STEP 4 - Frost the cake
Mix all the cheese frosting ingredients in a bowl, spread over the cake, decorate with chopped nuts and grated carrot and serve.
Before you know it, you'll be indulging in a big slice of cake and making your own peace with the world.
HOW TO STORE CARROT CAKE
- Serve: You can leave your homemade carrot cake at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Fridge: Cut the cake into slices and transfer them to a Ziplock bag or another airtight container to store in the fridge. They will keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: You can also make the cake ahead of time and freeze the slices. Slice into squares and freeze for up to 1 month.
When you’re ready to serve, let them thaw in the fridge. Let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then frost before serving.
This moist carrot cake recipe gives you endless possibilities! here are a few desserts you can make using this recipe:
- Carrot cake cupcakes: You'll need to reduce the baking time.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Carrot cake bars: Use a 9-inch square pan or a 9x13-inch sheet pan to bake the cake, once ready, cut into slices. As you can see from my pictures, that's my favorite version!
- Carrot cake loaf: Pour the batter into a classic 1 pound baking loaf.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. PS: you can also make carrot cake banana bread!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment and/or a rating below, and share a picture and tag @thepetitecook on Instagram! Reading your feedback and looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
Easy Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 130 g muscovado sugar or brown sugar
- 120 ml sunflower oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- juice and grated zest of one medium orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 240 g all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 pinches sea salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 300 g carrots, finely grated
- 3 tablespoon chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoon chopped almonds
For the mascarpone frosting:
- 250 g mascarpone cheese
- 100 g powdered sugar
- zest and juice of ½ orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 360°F and arrange a baking tray onto the middle shelf. Brush with butter and line with parchment paper two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9-inch tall cake pan or a 10-inch bundt cake pan or a 9-inch square cake pan.
- In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients.
- In another large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients exept for the carrots and nuts.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Mix until fully combined, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
- Finally afold in the chopped carrots and nuts. Pour the carrot cake batter into the prepared cake pan, making sure that it does not exceed ⅔ of the pan.
- Bake the carrot cake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 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 ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack before removing it from the pan.
- Spread the frosting over the surface. You can cover the cake entirely with cream or just the top of it.
- Decorate with chopped nuts and grated carrot and serve.
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Cut the cake into slices and transfer them to a Ziplock bag or another airtight container to store in the fridge. They will keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: You can also make the cake ahead of time and freeze the slices. Slice into squares and freeze for up to 1 month.
When you’re ready to serve, let them thaw in the fridge. Let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then frost before serving.
- Butter cream cheese frosting: this basic cream cheese frosting is a go-to option for many. It's made with butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange juice.
- Simple glaze: Simply mix 50 g of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of orange juice and drizzle all over the cake.
- Ricotta frosting: Made with ricotta cheese, this lighter frosting is perfect if you want to make a healthy carrot cake. Simply follow the frosting recipe here and swap the mascarpone cheese with well-drained ricotta.
- Yogurt: To make dairy-free carrot cake use a dairy-free thick yogurt like Skyr, instead of mascarpone cheese for the frosting.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Deborah says
Hi Andrea. This cake looks yummy and taste bud popping. I would like to bake anytime soon, little anxious about which pan to use and cooking time. I would like to bake as a one layer cake. Which pan would you advise / which do you feel works best? 9 inch deep or 8 inch deep?
What baking time would you advise on also / oven temperature.
Thank you.
Andrea says
Hi Deborah, no need to be anxious at all, this cake is very forgiving! I always bake it as a 1-layer cake, a standard 9-inch springform cake pan is what I use. I also like to use an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan (the one I use for brownies), as it makes it easier to cut it into squares and freeze for later.
Kaitlin Ohlinger says
Will definitely be making this one again! It was perfect. And I don’t care for frosting in 90% if cakes, but the simplicity of this one was really perfect.
In case it helps someone, I only had half the carrot needed for this recipe. I had some radishes from my CSA on hand, so I grated them up and subbed. The cake came out great! Radishes are kind of spicy, so it worked along with the cinnamon. Who knew!
Jess says
What size cake tin would you recommend for this cake?
Andrea says
Hi Jess, a standard 8inch pan would work well here 🙂
Paul Stevens says
"Butter the cake pan and sprinkle with sugar, pour the mixture in, making sure that it does not exceed ? of the mold"
"?" being?
Andrea says
Hi Paul, super sorry for the typo, I meant 2/3 of the cake mold! Happy baking and I really hope you love this cake as much as me and my family do, let me know how it turns out 🙂
luo.la says
Ye ! This Is A Good Blog!
Marie tap says
How much sugar?
Andrea says
Hi Marie, as written on the recipe you need 130g/ ⅔ cup muscovado sugar. Hope you like it!