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If you love carrot cake, you will love this carrot cake from scratch. Moist and delicious, this carrot cakes is packed with carrot flavor and topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting. Sprinkled with walnuts, this carrots cake poke cake is sure to please.
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Carrot Cake Recipe from Scratch
Whoever made the first carrot cake was a genius. I never would have thought that carrots in cake would be a good idea but it is a fabulous idea. It gives the cake so much flavor. I have had so many people say they love carrot cake but never make it from scratch. With this recipe, making carrot cake from scratch is so easy, you will never reach for a boxed version again.
Does carrot cake have raisins?
While this carrot cake does not have raisins in it, you could add raisins if you like it that way. Raisins in carrot cake is one of those things where most people have very strong feelings on it. People either love raisins or they hate raisins in carrot cake. Walnut are another thing that people either love the walnuts on top or they hate them. Because this cake is easily customizable, you can add raisins or leave the walnuts out to make sure your family and guests like the carrot cake.
How do you grate carrots for carrot cake?
For carrot cake, you want to make sure you are grating the carrots. You can grate carrots using a hand grater or you can use a food processor. Some people prefer the hand grater because they have more control over how the carrot is grated. It doesn’t matter how the carrots are grated, but you want them grated small so there are no large chunks in the cake.
What is carrot cake made of?
The cake itself is like a traditional cake but with seasonings that are unique to carrot cake. Since this is a poke style cake, it has a drizzle that goes on top of the cake before the frosting. Then it is topped with a cream cheese frosting. Of course, there is grated carrots in the carrot cake.
How to Store this Poke Cake
While cake itself doesn’t need to be refrigerated, you will need to store this cake in the refrigerator. With the cream cheese frosting and sweetened condensed milk as the drizzle to go into the holes in the poke cake, you need to make sure this cake is refrigerated. You do not want to keep this cake at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Cake Carrot Cake be Frozen
If you have more cake than you can eat before it goes bad, you can freeze the cake. I always recommend freezing a cake like this, that is decorated and topped with frosting, on a plate before you wrap it and store it. That is because the frosting will stick to the plastic wrap that you use in order to protect the cake from getting freezer burn. Once the cake is frozen, you can then take each slice of cake and wrap it with plastic wrap. Store all of the wrapped cake slices in a freezer bag. This keeps the cake together and helps to add another layer of protection from freezer burn.
Ingredients for carrot cake recipe from scratch
- Unbleached all-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground black pepper
- Nutmeg
- Ground cardamom
- Ground cloves
- Salt
- Carrots
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans
How to Make carrot cake recipe from scratch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the cake from the pan) Butter the parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.
Using the large holes of box grater shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside.
In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top of the cake. You can use the end of a wooden spoon, a skewer, the tines of a fork, etc. Slowly pour the can of condensed milk all over the top of the cake, making sure to drizzle it evenly all over the top. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
To make the Frosting
Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.
Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Want More Poke Cake Recipes
- Best Easy Red Velvet Poke Cake – This red velvet poke cake is filled with sweetened condensed milk and topped with a buttery cream cheese frosting that’s out of this world.
- Caramel Cream Cheese Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe – Looking for one of the best poke cake recipes? Wait until you try this recipe that is perfect for fall. If you are craving pumpkin and cream cheese, take your poke cake to a new level with Caramel Cream Cheese Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe.
- Best Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe – This pumpkin spice cake is poked to death, doused in sweetened condensed milk, and then covered in cream cheese frosting. This is the best pumpkin cream cheesecake.
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Carrot Cake Recipe from Scratch
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
If you love carrot cake, you will love this carrot cake from scratch. Moist and delicious, this carrot cakes is packed with carrot flavor and topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting. Sprinkled with walnuts, this carrots cake poke cake is sure to please.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 12 1/2 ounces
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 pound medium carrots, 6 to 7 carrots, peeled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 10 1/2 ounces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 3 1/2 ounces
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
For the Drizzle:
1 12-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
For the Frosting:
8 ounces butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped finely and toasted
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the cake from the pan) Butter the parchment.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.
Using the large holes of box grater shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside.
In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top of the cake. You can use the end of a wooden spoon, a skewer, the tines of a fork, etc. Slowly pour the can of condensed milk all over the top of the cake, making sure to drizzle it evenly all over the top. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
To make the Frosting: Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.
Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Author: Laura
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May 3, 2020
- American
- Baking
- Baking
- Desserts
- Recipes
- Thanksgiving
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1 comment
- Natalie
Truly the best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted. Big win for all who ate it with tons of compliments!
- Reply
