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Easter Dessert—Olivia’s Carrot Cake

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  • Author: Tonja

Ingredients

Scale

For Carrot Cake:

1 1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

6 eggs

1 Tbls. vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbls. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups freshly grated carrots

optional: 1 cup chopped nuts and/or raisins

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 (8-ounce) bricks cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

45 cups powdered sugar


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray 2 9-inch round baking pans with baking spray and set aside.

In a large stand mixer or mixing bowl, whisk together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves) until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, and mix until smooth. Fold in the grated carrots and stir until combined. If you would like to add nuts and/or raisins, stir them in at this time as well.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans (about 3 1/4 cups each pan). Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.  Transfer the baking pans to a wire cooling rack and let the cakes cool until they reach room temperature.

Meanwhile, to make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and stir until combined and smooth.  Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and mix until it is completely combined.

When the cakes reach room temperature, use a bread knife to slice off the rounded tops of the cakes so that they are completely flat on top.  Place the first cake on your serving platter, add a large scoop of frosting on top of it, and spread the frosting so that it covers the cake evenly and extends a bit over the edges.  Then use the remainder of the frosting to frost all around the side edges of the cake.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.