Carrot Cake

We were first introduced to carrot cake when we moved to Canada in grade school. Growing up in Bulgaria and Greece, we had never had a cake made with carrots, zucchini, or bananas. Our family and we initially thought vegetables in cake was an odd concept, but after one bite, we all fell in love. And we're confident you will love the natural sweetness and subtle earthiness that freshly grated carrots brings to this cake. We've added our Modern the cook twist to make this a bit more nutritious and wholesome with nuts, healthy avocado oil in place of butter, and loads of carrots.

What stands out

Our Carrot Cake recipe is straightforward to prepare incredibly moist and not too sweet. Cinnamon and nutmeg spice up the batter, evoking cozy autumnal feelings. Freshly grated carrots brighten up the flavor and transform the cake a beautiful orange color. Chopped walnuts add an unexpected crunch and added nutrition. Everything comes together in one bowl and bakes up in a loaf tin, for straightforward snackable slices.

How to Prepare Carrot Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

Then, add the oil and milk and whisk again. Stir in the grated carrots using a silicone spatula.

Next, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg if using and stir until you have a thick pourable batter. Fold in the crushed walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give it a tap or gently shake to distribute the batter evenly. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the loaf clean. Let the loaf cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, in a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Using a hand-held electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add the powdered sugar and combine, using a silicone or rubber spatula. Mix until silky smooth.

Spread the icing evenly onto the cake, slice, and enjoy!

Kitchen tip

Cool the cake completely before you add the icing. We like to chill our icing in the fridge for about 10 minutes so it’s easier to spread.

Swaps

1. Instead of walnuts, try your favorite nut such as cashews, almonds, or pistachios.
2. If you have a nut allergy skip the walnuts and add raisinsshredded coconut and/or pumpkin seeds instead.
3. Milk not a part of your diet? You can use any plant milk of choice such as almond or oat milk. You can also use a dairy-free cream cheese for the icing as well.
4. The cream cheese icing is optional. If you want a lighter, lower calorie cake you can skip this step.
5. Make these into muffins or cupcakes! The bake time will be 15 to 20 minutes total; keep a close eye on them so they don’t over-bake.
6. Use any neutral oil you like. You can also use coconut oil but it will give the cake a hint of coconut flavor.

Serve it with

• Coffee or tea
• Other loaf cakes, like our Clementine Cake or cookies with a brunch

Questions

Why are the metric weights of your ingredients different than the results of Google and our kitchen scale?

While 1 cup of flour weighs 130g in our kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 145g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure.

Can we make this in a cake pan?

Certainly, this recipe will work in a 6 inch cake pan.

Can we Use a gluten-free flour?

We have not tried making this recipe with a gluten-free flour such as almond flour. If you substitute please add a little at a time and stir in between each addition until you have a thick pourable batter. Check out the comments below for some suggestions on making this a gluten-free cake.

How can we make this recipe egg-free?

Although we have not tried making this recipe egg-free, you can try experimenting by using a chia egg, flax egg or various vegan alternatives.

How do we check if baking powder is expired?

When using baking powder, always check the expiration date. Expired baking powder will not help your recipe rise in the oven, and you’ll have a sad, deflated cake. You can test if your baking powder has expired by adding ½ teaspoon baking powder to ¼ cup hot water. If the water bubbles up, it’s not expired; if it does not bubble, it’s expired and should be tossed.

Can we freeze this?

Yes, the unfrosted cake can be frozen either as a whole loaf, or individually wrapped slices. Wrap tightly in parchment paper, followed by tin foil or plastic wrap and store inside a tightly sealed plastic bag or food container.

Does this recipe need salt?

We have found the flavors of this cake are perfectly balanced without salt. However, you may choose to add a pinch of salt to the batter.

Ingredients

Makes 12 slices

Carrot Cake

• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
• ½ cup avocado oil, or any neutral oil
• ½ cup milk
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 1 + ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, (make sure it's not expired*)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, (optional)
• ½ cup walnuts, crushed (optional)

Cream Cheese Icing

• ½ cup cream cheese, softened to room temp
• ¼ cup butter, softened to room temp
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Equipment

• Cordless Mixer
• Rotary Grater
• Cutting Board
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Mixing Bowls
• Loaf Pan
• Spatula

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
3. Add the oil and milk and whisk again. Stir in the grated carrots using a silicone spatula.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg if using and stir until you have a thick pourable batter. Fold in the crushed walnuts, if using.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give it a tap or gently shake to distribute the batter evenly. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the loaf clean. Let the loaf cool completely before icing.
6. To make the icing, in a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Using a hand-held electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add the powdered sugar and combine, using a silicone or rubber spatula. (we switch to a spatula here because the electric mixer will send the powdered sugar flying all over the kitchen.) Mix until silky smooth.
7. If the icing is too soft, put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up, before spreading it on the cake.
8. Spread the icing evenly onto the cake, slice, and enjoy!