Easy Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Cheese Frosting

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 388kcal

Soft, creamy, rich, and easy carrot cake with a delicious mascarpone frosting. The perfect Easter dessert to satisfy your cake cravings!

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.

Storage tips:

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.

Here are a few other frosting 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.

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.