Carrot Cake Recipe

This Carrot Cake Recipe has a delicious balance of spices and walnuts! It has a great texture that is anything but dry. Pair it with my Cream Cheese Frosting for an amazing combination!

I am not a big fan of raisins in carrot cake, so this recipe only adds walnuts with an option to add some chopped dates. The dates add a nice flavor and a bit more sweetness to the cake. If you prefer raisins, feel free to switch out the dates for the raisins.

For the carrots in this recipe, I prefer to buy whole carrots shred them myself. I feel like you get a finer texture doing it this way which will give you a better texture for your cake. However, if you don’t have the time to do this step yourself, the shredded carrots from the store will work just fine!

A classic frosting for carrot cake is cream cheese frosting. It is also my top choice for this cake, and you can find my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe here. However, not everyone likes cream cheese, so some other alternatives would be Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Frosting. If you were feeling adventurous, you could even try an Almond Buttercream!

Below you will find the Carrot Cake Recipe. The first one is the high-altitude recipe, and the sea level recipe is at the end. I hope you enjoy the recipe and be sure to leave a comment if you try it out or have any questions!

High Altitude Carrot Cake Recipe

★★★★

A classic recipe with a delicious balance of spices, walnuts and an option to add chopped dates! This recipe will make enough for 24 cupcakes, a 3 layer 6 inch cake, or a 2 layer 8 inch cake.

Equipment

• Cake Pans (three 6inch or two 8 inch)
• parchment paper
• Cake Strips (optional)

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cup avocado oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar minus 1 tbsp
• 1 cup brown sugar minus 1 tbsp
• 3 cups flour plus 3 tbsp
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
• 1/2 cup dates (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 360F.
2. If you are using cake strips, place them in a small bowl of water to soak.
3. Crack your eggs into a small bowl and set aside.
4. Prepare your baking pans. Use 1-2 tsp of avocado oil (or your oil of choice) to grease your pans. Then use 2-3 tbsp of flour to dust your pans.
5. Cut parchment paper to fit in the bottom of your pans and place it in the bottom.
6. Add the applesauce, avocado oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar to your mixing bowl. Mix on medium high to high speed for a few minutes, until the mixture starts to get lighter in color. Scrape the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds.
7. In a small bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and all spice. Mix with a fork until they are incorporated.
8. Add in half of the eggs and mix until just combined. Add in the rest of the eggs and mix until just combined.
9. Scrape the bowl and add in the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
10. Add in half of the flour mixture and mix until combined.
11. Add in the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined.
12. Add in the carrots, walnuts, and the dates (optional). Mix until just combined.
13. Mix the batter by hand to make sure everything is incorporated. Add the batter to your cake pans. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the pans and fill until they are 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.
14. If you are using cake strips, put those around the cake pans before putting them in the oven.
15. Baking time will vary depending on the cake size and thickness. I like to set a timer for about 35 minutes to check on how the cake is doing. I will then bake for additional time as necessary. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and the sides start to pull away from the edge of the pan.
16. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the pans for about 15 minutes.
17. Remove the cake from the pans and let it completely cool on a cooling rack.
18. Either frost the cake or store it in an airtight container. The cake will last for about 1 day at room temperature, or 7 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the cake layers in plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks if you want to make them ahead of time. You could also freeze any leftover cake that has been frosted for up to 3 months in an airtight container.